Stories of the Past
by LadeeBear
Summary: Anna Price provides us with an outsider's view to the bustling city of New York as she joins the CSI team there. [EPILOGUE is up!]
1. The Prologue

**Okay, so I got bored and had this character Anna drifting in my mind for quite some time, but I never really wanted to make a fanfic because I don't feel like I can write crime scene stuff that well. However, here is the beginning, and I want you all to tell me what you think. **

**I do not own any of the CSI series (LV, NY, or Miami) because if I did, I would not need to write fanfiction, I would write episodes. Haha. Anyway, the only people I do own are Anna and her children. **

**Pairings (later on, either directly stated, or otherwise implied) are: SM, DL, a tad bit of G/C and Snickers lovin' from the original CSI, and GregOC.**

The Prologue

It was first brought up because we were all sitting in one room together, which rarely happens.

"Mom, what did they do before the days of cell phones and internet?" Eva asked from where she was reading the latest edition of _Seventeen_. We were all stuck together in our boarded up family room, our only company being candlelight from the center coffee table. _Hurray for hurricane season_, I thought with sarcasm.

I laughed at my daughter's comment, and replied: "They probably sat around and talked to each other like we're doing now."

"Dang, that would get pretty boring," Baron remarked dryly from the other side of her. Can you see where he gets his sense of humor?

"I don't know," Leala admitted looking up from her crossword puzzle, "I think it would be kind of fun, just sitting and sharing stories with each other." Of course I knew Leala would consider _this_ fun. While Eva and Baron complained about not having their own technological accommodations to keep them occupied, Leala was the one who would be content with sitting and reading a book. And for her age level, this was quite remarkable. A little girl with an attention span…amazing.

I was glad that Noah was asleep on my lap, dreaming of things that little boys dream of, for he would want to join into the conversation with his older siblings. My husband, however, was being a good sport and chiming in with the kids.

"You know, I guess they must have been better off as families. Think about it: you all would have gone to school and came home and hung out with your dear old parents all night." At those last three words, he grabbed Baron and tousled his hair.

"Dad…" Baron whined as he was distracted from his video game. I smiled and continued to read my latest addiction: Hollywood tabloids. Call it what you might, but my teenage daughter was beginning to influence me.

"Mom, I hate working. Do you know that they had me pulling a 12 to close shift last week? That's like, 10 hours of work!" Eva complained dramatically.

"Welcome to the real world," my husband replied with a smirk. I looked over at him and winked, but politely smiled my condolences to my eldest daughter.

"Mom, Dad…what were your first jobs like?" she continued, placing her magazine on the nearest table. Her hazel eyes fixed on me. "I bet they weren't half as boring as what I do."

"Well…you wouldn't believe me if I told you. And it's a long story anyway…" I said, flipping through the glossy pages of my magazine. I knew this conversation would come up someday, and I didn't feel like addressing it quite yet.

My husband interrupted me: "Oh, come on Anna. It's the middle of a hurricane, the windows are all boarded up, and we're stuck here for another good two or three hours. We have time for some stories of all your adventures."

Baron and Leala perked up. "What adventures?" they asked simultaneously. They were used to the middle-age mother: the one who was a schoolteacher and a housewife. They had never heard of the teenage and 20-something Annabelle Leah Price.

I glared at my husband, who merely flashed me his brightest smile. He knew I couldn't resist that smile. _Oh, Anna, what have you gotten yourself into?_ I wonder silently.

"Well, for starters, I did grow up in Miami, but you guys already knew that."

Nods from the peanut gallery.

"But, I don't think you all knew that I lived in New York for a while."

The peanut gallery (well, all except Mr. Let-the-kids-hear-your-story) shakes their heads.

"And, what you don't know is that before I was a schoolteacher, I was a Crime Scene Investigator…a CSI."

Leala is the first to perk up. "You're _serious_? You used to be one of those crime scene people?"

I nodded.

"Nuh-uh. That is so awesome!" Baron exclaimed, his attention officially diverted from the Mario Cart game in front of him. _Oh, here we go_, I thought to myself. _My kids don't want to read anything educational whatsoever, but they would love to listen to me talk about dead bodies. Great. What is the world coming to?_

"Oh yes. I think they need to hear some stories about your adventures Anna," my oh-so brilliant husband urged. After some more pleading by my children, and the realization of a long evening through the Floridian hurricane, I obliged.

"Alright. I will tell you the stories, starting from the beginning…"


	2. Forensics

**Hey all. Thank you for the reviews. It makes me happy. Anyway, this chapter is one about Anna's past, right up to before she leaves for New York, so bear with me. I have to introduce this, or nothing else in the story would make much sense. Keep those reviews coming, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter One: Forensics

"I never planned on becoming a CSI," I admitted to my children. "In fact, it was the hand of fate that I _did_ become one…"

I seemingly thrust myself into the past, and suddenly I am back in the humid night air of Miami. I am sitting on my bed, playing with my new doll, and my mother comes into my room to tuck me into bed. Mother has just gotten off her second job, so she is exhausted, but she still manages a smile and kisses my forehead. Mother works hard to earn money for us, since father left long before I was born. She puts all of her money away, for my education, she says. I think to myself that I have a wonderful mother.

A few years later, I smooth out my black dress and say goodbye to my mother. There is a man who stands on the outskirts of the cemetery, I notice. He has red hair and is wearing a pair of sunglasses. He uncrosses his arms and walks toward where I am standing. He has a young face…that I can remember. He takes off his sunglasses and looks at me with sympathy in his eyes.

"A tragedy," he tells me. I nod, and watch my mother's casket being lowered into her grave. Eternal rest. The man, whose name was Horatio, told me that he would find a good home for me to stay in. "A nice family to live with," he promised. I nodded, the air of grief still lingering. That's when I asked him.

"Horatio, what happened to my mommy?"

Horatio knelt down to my eye level, and wiped beads of sweat from his head. "Your mommy did nothing wrong, I want you to always remember that. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are bad guys out there, and I will make sure that I get them."

"I wanna catch the bad guys too," I said, looking at him with determination. Horatio smiled at me, and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Someday you can sweetheart, but for now, I just want you to promise me that you will make sure you get good grades in school…that's what your mommy wanted for you. Promise me that you will, okay?"

I looked at his face, and it has remained in my mind ever since. I knew that from that moment on, I wanted to be the one to catch the bad guys. I didn't want anyone getting away with killing someone else. It's not that I wanted revenge; I wanted justice.

I ended up finding a home with some distant second cousin of my mother's in the outskirts of Miami. Every day, I got up and when I didn't feel like going to school, I would just remember my promise to Horatio…my promise to my mother. She had spent all of her life trying to save up enough money so that I could go anywhere that I wanted, and be anything that I wanted to be.

I wanted to be a CSI. I suppose that I had known that after I met Horatio, and after the tragic murder of my mother. But when my teenage years approached, I dug through my drawers to find Horatio's card. I called him up. I knew it was a long-shot, but even if the only thing I could do was bag or label piles of evidence, I would be thrilled because that would be one step closer to catching a criminal. In the end, Horatio agreed that the only thing I was allowed to do was bag the evidence. And that was my job…after school, on weekends, in the dead heat of summer; I would sit and bag evidence. A couple of times I caught Horatio studying me, as if he was looking for a long-lost soul.

"Your mother would be proud of you," Horatio told me as I bagged and labeled a bloody towel. I looked up at him, and nodded silently, but I wondered what my future would hold.

Little did I know that my future would take me into the heart of New York to become a CSI Level Three…

"Okay kids, so that is how I got to be a CSI," I replied, yawning and stretching.

"Wait, wait…that wasn't an adventure! Where are all the stories of murders, dead bodies, and catching the bad guys?" Baron asked, thoroughly disappointed in the lack of gory details in my story.

"You didn't let her finish the story," my husband said to his son, "She still has to tell you about what happened after she left for college in New York." I rolled my eyes at him, and he continued to smile.

"Well, I don't hear _you_ sharing any of _your _adventures in crime-solving Mr. Sanders!" I retorted with a playful smile. The kids turned on him.

"Woah, hang on a second: _you _were a CSI too?" Leala asks with wide eyes. Baron nearly jumped up and down from his excitement as Eva leaned in closer to listen.

"Oh, don't you turn this on me Anna," he said wagging his finger at me with his playful little smile--the one that made me fall in love with him. I merely grinned.

"Greg, you _know_ you have interesting stories to tell the kids," I said with a snicker. He shook his head at me, with feigned disapproval. I knew that I had backed him into a corner, but that's what he gets for making me tell these stories in the first place.

"Alright, here's the deal everyone: _I_ will tell about how I met your mom, but first _she_ has to tell about her stories from New York. Danny, Lindsay, Mac, Stella, Flack, and Hawkes…you can't leave them out," Greg said, trying his best to compromise.

"Hold on," Eva said, clearly trying to concentrate on organizing her thoughts, "I've heard of some of those people. Didn't we meet Danny? But I thought the girl he was with was named Montana something-or-other…"

I let out a little laugh.

"Yeah, you did meet Danny a few years ago when we were up in New York. Baron, you were too young to remember him, but he was with Lindsay when we met up with him. His nickname for Lindsay for—wow, _years_--has been Montana…in fact, I remember when I first met them…"


	3. New York, New York

**Hey everyone. I am so glad that you all are showing an interest with this story. Believe me; I didn't even think I would be able to write it! Since this is a CSI: NY thread, it's about time to incorporate the NY team into it. For those who ship D/L, get ready for a fun time soon.I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Read and review please, because it makes my day!**

Chapter Two: New York, New York

_These little town blues, are melting away _

_I'm gonna make a brand new start of it - in old New York _

_And if I can make it there, I'm gonna make it anywhere_

_It up to you - New York, New York_

Yes, I was humming Frank Sinatra in my head as I took the subway to where I would finally meet my team from the New York crime lab. I couldn't believe it. This had been my dream ever since…well, ever since a tragedy. Was it ironic that I found my dream in a disaster? I think so. But all the same, I had made the most of my life. The past four years I had been living in New York, attending Pace University, and graduated with a Bachelor's in Forensic Science. Now, I had an interview with a man named Mac Taylor, who was part of the leading crime laboratory in New York City.

I could barely contain my enthusiasm.

Horatio, along with one of my professors, gave me a recommendation, and Mac had agreed to see me for an interview for a position at the lab. Walking through the doors of the building, I began to feel a bit uneasy. What if there was someone more qualified for the position than I was? I was counting on this job, but I had really never thought that I might not get it. As I ascended the elevator, I brushed lint from my navy pants and smoothed out my top. The elevator opened, and I was immediately aware of the bustle of the lab. Trying to not feel like the outsider, I maneuvered my way through people who were rushing towards me in the opposite direction—a fish moving against the current. Although, I realized too late, I had no earthly idea which direction Mac's office was in.

"Anna?" I heard from behind me. I turned around to see myself looking at a man, maybe in his 40's, with the general demeanor of someone in authority. Before I could reply he extended his hand. "Detective Mac Taylor," he said politely.

I opened my mouth to introduce myself, but Mac cut me short. "We had better go somewhere quieter." I followed him into his office, and sat down.

"Oh!" I said, feeling like quite the idiot, "My name is Anna Price. It's a pleasure to meet you," I acknowledged with a smile. Mac nodded and held up a file.

"I know. Horatio sent you quite the recommendation you know."

I smiled. "Yeah, well, I should be the one doing _him _favors since he helped me out so much after my mother's death." I was finding it easier, as I grew older; to talk about what happened to my mother.

Maybe I was growing up after all.

After the basic interview questions, such as specific abilities and qualifications that I had for the job, Mac turned the questions into more personal ones.

"Why do you want to work here, in New York? After all, you could have worked for Horatio in Miami," he asked, looking at the folder in his hand. I sighed, not dramatically, but more or less out of concentration.

"I guess that I knew when my mother died that I wanted to become a CSI. And though, granted, I loved Miami; my mother provided me with enough money to go wherever I wanted to go. This was her dream for me: to get an education and a good job that I loved. I guess that she always regretted not being able to fulfill her dreams, that she wanted me to become, in essence, the epitome of what she never was. And it's not as if she forced me to become a CSI…she wanted me to do anything with my career, under one condition: I must love what I am doing. And I came to New York because it had a wonderful opportunity for me, so I seized that chance before it was gone."

I concluded my mini-speech to see Mac grinning, something I really didn't picture him doing too often.

"That is _exactly_ what I wanted to hear, Miss. Price. Someone with motivation for doing the work that they do. Someone who is willing to step outside of their comfort zone into a land that they do not know of. This job takes strength, mainly emotional, and I believe that through the actions you have taken after your mother's tragedy demonstrate that you have that emotional strength. Well the only thing left to say is congratulations Miss. Price, and welcome to our lab."

I had to contain my squeals of joy and the urge to hug Mac at that moment. Instead, I contained it with a broad smile and a "Thank you so much for this opportunity."

"Well, it'll be good to have another woman CSI around. I feel Stella and Lindsay have begun to feel outnumbered. Although, I have to say, they are quite capable of holding their own against the men," Mac said. Almost as if on cue, I heard noise from outside Mac's office.

"Hey! Montana! Wait up, will ya"  
"For the last time, my name is not Montana! It's Lindsay? Is that so hard to remember?"  
"But--"  
"I have evidence to process, alright?"

I stared at the figures passing by the window, and then glanced curiously at Mac. He offered explanation.

"Exhibit A of feisty females of the lab," he said with a little laugh. "Her name is Lindsay Monroe, and you would never know by the way she acts sometimes that she is a country girl from Montana."

My eyes widened. "Oh, _Montana_. I get it. Cute nickname," I added with a smirk.

"Yes, Danny Messer thinks so too," Mac said lightly. I turned my head once again to see a curly haired woman walk down the hall with the air of impatience, talking on her cell phone.

"No, no, no, Hawkes. I don't care! Get your ass down here!"

"And that is Exhibit B. Stella Bonasera. She's me, only in female form," he said, jotting down notes on his folder, but I could see a faint smile playing on his mouth. "And you, Anna, make three: three opinionated women in one building."

"What could be more fun?" I asked with a smile.


	4. The New Girl

**Bonjour everybody! I am so ecstatic to read my reviews. Big thanks goes to Troo: I didn't realize my typo, so thank you for pointing it out! It's kind of hard to "ascend an elevator" if you're not ascending in it. Ha-ha. Anyways, here is the latest chapter of my story. And you all know the drill by now: read and reply! (Sorry that this chapter is kind of a somber one).**

Chapter Three: The New Girl

"You know, I think the storm is starting to die down," I said, shifting Noah out of my lap and onto his pillow. The little boy let out a sigh in his sleep.

"Wait, you can't just leave it like _that_!" Leala whined. "I want to hear what happens next. What about those people that you worked with? What happened to them?"

I rubbed my temple and took a swig from my water bottle. "They all lived happily ever after," I said sarcastically. Baron and Eva didn't let me off the hook though.

"Oh come _on_ Mom," Eva said with attitude, "You can't just tell me that life was peachy for you up there. I want to hear what you did! Come on; please tell us some more stories. You've got to have some interesting ones."

"Yeah Mom, _please_?" Baron asked with a puppy dog pout. I rolled my eyes and looked accusingly at Greg—he taught him how to do that.

"Why not, Anna? What have you got to lose?" Greg asked from across the room.

"My voice," I said simply. "Alright, I will tell you some more stories. But Baron, you may not like some of them because they may contain mushy romance stuff," I added with that little disclaimer. Baron made a disgusted face, but didn't pick his game back up.

"And _you_," I said with a finger pointed at my husband. "have to tell them about what happened the night I met you. Deal?"

Greg nodded. "Deal. Now start the story-telling, Anna."

"Alright, here goes nothing…"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………...

"I don't care what you say Messer, but musicals are amazing," I argued, stuffing my iPod into my locker. It was the end of my first week as a CSI, but already I was bonding with my team members. Even Danny. Apparantly though, he didn't share my love of musicals.

"Come on Price, you don't actually think that any real men can love musicals," he retorted, leaning up against the locker next to mine. I studied him for a moment.Apart from the fact that he had taken the initiative every day that past week to make me the butt of jokes;Danny Messerreally was a nice guy.

"Any real, sane, straight man could fall in love with a musical if you gave him the tracks to _Les Miserables_ or _Wicked_ or _Jekyll and Hyde_," I said with determination. Danny studied me too for a moment. I believe that he initially mistook me for a soft, innocent, naïve girl fresh out of college. And now? Well, I believe that now he must have known that when it comes to my personal opinion, I could hold out just as long as Lindsay or Stella could in an argument.

"Our vic was obsessed with these musicals, Broadway, that kinda stuff," Danny said thoughtfully, "and you're telling me that a straight guy could totally be into that kinda stuff?"

"Yep," I said closing my locker. I paused at the locker room door and tossed a CD over my shoulder to Danny. "You should give it a try sometime," I said with a wink. Flack had bet me that Danny wouldn't listen to any of the Broadway tracks that I gave him on the CD, but I fully intended to win my ten dollars.

I walked out the door and nearly collided with Lindsay, who looked like she was in the twilight zone. I waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Earth to Lindsay," I said with concern. Lindsay looked up from the pile of folders that she had her nose buried in.

"Oh. Hi Anna," she said, void of enthusiasm. Lately, for some reason, Lindsay had been consumed with her work. And even though I didn't know her all that well, I decided to offer her a break. She shook her head, auburn hair falling into her face.

"No, really, that's nice of you Anna, but I've got so much work to do…" she trailed off. I frowned, and was about to open my mouth when a voice from behind me answered:

"Montana, when someone offers you dinner, it's not polite to decline."

I turned my head around to see Danny—devoid of any CD, to my dismay—looking at Lindsay with sympathy in his eyes. I looked back and forth from the two of them. Lindsay opened her mouth to protest, and Danny silenced her yet again.

"We three are going out, and there's nothin' that you can say that will make us change out minds. Right, Anna?"

I nodded my head and crossed my arms in front of my chest. "We're not letting you work until you come out to dinner with us. The papers aren't gonna grow legs and walk out while we're gone." I said with a smirk. I raised my eyebrows and studied her face for a moment. "Well? You coming, or is Danny going to have to physically carry you out of here?" I asked. Danny was grinning now too. I suppose it was at the thought of a kicking and screaming Lindsay being drug fireman style out of the lab.

In the end, Lindsay agreed. _As if she had any choice_, I thought with a smirk.

We ended up settling on a pizza place a few blocks from the lab. I realized that she had a right to her own privacy sometimes, but still, throughout dinner Lindsay was unceremoniously quiet. I wondered what was circling through her mind lately. She seemed so detached from life, and Danny must have noticed this too.

"Hey, Montana. What's wrong with ya lately? You've been quiet"

I took a bite out of my pizza and studied the two. (I think Danny was beginning to influence me).Danny was the kind of boy that your parents always warned you about. He had a reputation for being quite the ladies man, and his life was not perfect, of course. And then there was Lindsay: she was the kind of girl that your mom always wanted you to be like. She was smart, and dedicated to what she did, and she had the kindest heart. Cocking my head to the side, I wondered why two people so completely opposite could have such chemistry together—no pun intended, of course.

"Nothing," she mumbled, glancing out the dirty window. I knew what she was doing, of course. All girls, when they are in the presence of someone that they don't want to cry in front of, look out windows. It was normal female behavior, and I looked to Danny to make the next move. No way was I going to get involved quite yet.

"Hey, hey, Montana, look at me," he said with concern: his New York charm. When she wouldn't turn her head to face him, he reached out his hand and merely cupped it under her chin to see her face. I was seated next to Lindsay, and Danny, being across the table from us, could see the tears in her eyes. _Crying would scare off most guys_, I thought to myself, _but not Danny for some reason. And he doesn't think he is sensitive_.

"What's wrong? And don't lie to me; I can see right through it," he asks gently. Lindsay looks at him from behind sad eyes, before she finally decides to break her façade.

"The job is just getting to me, I guess. I keep looking at people, women, children, men, people who didn't know that it was their day to die. And I think: what if I was her? What if tomorrow was my day to go? What if the woman in that building was my mother? I miss them. They're in Montana, for God's sake. I can't even see them! I can't get thosedead facesout of my mind…" she said, beginning to cry harder. I put a comforting hand on her shoulder and rubbed soothing circles.

I spoke before Danny had a chance to. "I know how you feel Lindsay," I said, my eyes beginning to glisten with my own tears. "I once thought that if I had agreed to go with my mother to the store one night, instead of going to my friend's, that maybe it would feel better to be dead with her, to be gone. Every time I see a mother dead, all I can think of is what her children must be feeling. I know what it is like to lose someone you love, and I know that it hurts to be apart from those we love, but you can't mask your pain in your work."

Lindsay wipes her eyes on her sleeve. Danny's hand was no longer under her chin. He was sitting back in his seat, studying her face. It seemed to be his habit, or maybe it was just spilled over from his job. Whatever the case, Danny reached over and gave Lindsay's hand a reassuring squeeze. She locked eyes with him, and for a moment, I thought that time had frozen. I swear to _God_, that I thought it had. Looking between the two of them, you would never know that they were friends...they seemed, at that moment, to have this cosmic connection.

"Thank you," Lindsay said, turning to me. I nodded at her and smiled, then reached over to embrace her.

"If you ever need anything, you know where to find me," I said into her hair. I could feel her nod against my shoulder. I looked over at Danny, his eyes full of compassion. Or, was I misreading his eyes? For I swear that in the light of that pizza place, I saw love in the eyes of Danny Messer.


	5. Kicking

**Thank you all so, so, so much for reviewing this story. I have to say, that most things I write on a whim, I never end up finishing, but I won't disappoint, and plan to see this one through to the epilogue! In a few more chapters I shall finally break the story of how Greg (yes, Sanders, from the original CSI) and Anna (our wonderful heroine) met…and believe you me, this isn't any ordinary meeting. Sorry that this chapter is so short, but I had to write it tonight, or I would forget all of my whims. Haha.Yeah,two chapters in one day, I know!But that's later, and this is now: chapter four of our story.**

Chapter Four: Kicking

"Wow. They are really meant to be together, aren't they?" Eva asked with dreamy eyes. I am sure that her teenage mind was picturing a happily-ever-after story in the next chapter with Danny and Lindsay riding off into the sunset together.

"In a sense, yes; they were _meant_ to be together. But, you see, things don't always work out as planned…" I trailed off, recalling what had happened one night years ago.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. There was no plausible way that I could still be awake. I came into the lab at 7 o'clock that morning. Glancing at my watch, I groaned inwardly. It was almost 10pm. This was one heck of a long day. I reviewed my case once more, making sure that every nook and cranny was searched. A dead middle-school student, stabbed in the back, found lying in a hallway by one of his peers. So far that day, Flack's interrogation attempts had yielded little to no results, which was making my job even harder. I was stuck in a rut with no way to get out, so I kept pouring myself over every photograph of the crime scene. My thoughts were interrupted by the escalation of a conversation coming from around the corner. Deciding to take a break from work, I walked outside to examine what was going on. It seemed that Stella couldn't concentrate either, and we both made our way to door of the break room where the voices were arguing inside.

"Oh, so now you're going to be jealous because I flirted a little bit with someone? Don't even get me started on how many people _you_ have hit on during the last month!"

"We were at a crime scene for God's sake! He could have been a potential suspect, and you were hitting on him!"

"God, you are such a _hypocrite_! What? You don't want to see me have fun once in a while? Because you sure as heck like to have fun flirting with other women, so I see no reason why I can't be smile at a guy every now and then."

"I'm not saying that you can't have fun every once in a while Montana, but you were hitting on him at our crime scene…"

"He is my _boyfriend_! Okay? Are you satisfied? Yes, it is possible that I, Lindsay Monroe, actually have a boyfriend, who happened to want to surprise me at work. Sure, his timing wasn't the best because I was working at a scene, but at least he was considerate, which is more than I can say of you right now! And now, if you will excuse me, my shift is ended, and I really ought to be getting home."

"Sure Montana. You go home to your boyfriend, alright? Just go." Danny's voice was cold, and I could see Lindsay's hurt face as she left without another word. Danny cursed under his breath and left the room, heading the opposite direction.

Stella and I faced each other.

"Coffee?" she offered feebly, and we both made our way to the machine. I sat down at the break room table and shook my brunette hair out of my face. Stella let out a sigh.

"Well, that was awkward," I admitted after a moment of pondering. Stella's mouth twitched. Sometimes the only way to make sense of a tough situation is to make a joke.

"I don't get it," Stella said, placing her cup down on the table. "I always thought that they got along alright. I mean, sure, Danny _does_ get under her skin, but he does that to all of us. I just always thought that they were closer than," she flings her arms in the direction of the door, "that."

I don't know why, but at that moment, I took the time to tell Stella of what had happened a few months earlier, with Lindsay's break-down at the pizza place. Stella nodded along, occasionally sipping her coffee.

"So, you and I are in the same boat," I explained, sipping my coffee, "We both just don't get it." We sat in silence for a few more minutes as I listened to the humming of the few people in the lab who _were_ on speaking terms with each other. Stella's eyebrows furrowed for a moment and then she smiled, realization dawning on her.

"I get it."

"You do?"

"It's a shame that what they know best is what they know least," Stella said with a mischievous smile.

"Good God Stella, you sound like a talking fortune cookie. Next thing you know, you'll be spouting off parables or prophecies…" I said with a light laugh. She looked at me, rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

"What are Danny and Lindsay best at?" she asked slowly. I felt like I was being treated like a two-year old who didn't understand the concept that one apple plus one apple equals two apples. Shaking away any ADD thoughts, I concentrated.

"Oh! They're good at solving crimes…interpreting the evidence. Following clues, that kind of thing," I stated with enthusiasm. I think I deserved a cookie for that one.

"Yes. And why do you think that following the evidence is what they know least of all?" Stella asked with the same evil-genius look in her eyes. I pondered slightly for a moment.

"Because they…because they can't see what's in front of them! Stupid myopic CSIs…" I said with a shake of my head. Stella laughed at my last comment. Suddenly, I grinned, and drummed my fingers together. "You know that when you are myopic, you often need a good kick in the rear," I stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes. What's your point?" Stella asked, mildly confused. My green eyes must have been sparkling at that moment with glee.

"Put on your best boots Stella. We've got some kicking to do."


	6. Something to Talk About

**Hello there my faithful readers! Well, as the next few chapters are going to be important, I decided that this one should be devoted to focusing more on Anna and her family. Yep. So, comment please and have a great day!**

Chapter Six: Something to Talk About

"Ooh, Mom's playing matchmaker," Baron cooed. I shrugged.

"What else are you going to do with two people who are hopelessly falling for one another but to blind to see it?" I asked. Eva raised her eyebrows at me. "That was a rhetorical question," I finished.

"Well, if they were really in love, wouldn't they have been able to see it eventually?" Leala asked.

"Yes, of course, but the key word there is what?"

"_Eventually_," Eva noted with interest. "So you figured that you might help speed the process up by getting them together?"

I nodded. "Something like that."

Noah stirred and stretched beside me. "Mommy, I'm hungry," he said with a little yawn. Greg came over to the couch and picked him up, carrying him into our kitchen.

"Why don't we all eat?" he suggested. The remaining three children and I got up from the couches and stretched, relaxing our tense muscles. I roamed around the kitchen, finding some food to eat. It was hard to believe that we were still in the midst of a hurricane. And the kids weren't even fighting, which was probably the most amazing part of it all.

Baron chewed his bread thoughtfully. "Mom, in school we had a project where we had to find out what our names mean. What does my name mean?"

I smiled and recalled when I was pregnant with my second-born. Greg and I had flipped through baby name book upon baby name book to find a name that was just right for our first son.

"Baron," I said with a smile, "was something that your father picked out. Your name means 'noble man' and it's German. We figured that you would eventually become a man of noble character. Or, we hoped," I added with a smile. Baron grinned. I think that he liked the idea of being noble.

Leala perked up. "What does my name mean?" she asked with curiosity.

I smiled broadly. "I picked your name out. It was suggested to me by one of my old roommates in college, who had brought me a baby name book with unique names in it, and we found this one. Leala is French for 'loyal'. So, we knew that we wanted our little girl to be loyal." Leala beamed and ate her sandwich with more pride, it seemed.

"Hey, you can't leave _me_ out!" Eva said with a pout.

Greg smiled. "Of course not. Eva was a name that I had really liked for a daughter. It's Hebrew for 'giver of life'. So, we found that appropriate to name our first born daughter, since you are the first one that will give life someday. Once you are married, and are a good age, mind you," Greg said with a laugh. Eva nodded her head.

"And Noah?" Baron asked curiously.

"Noah means 'rest' or 'peace', which I think it suitable since he seems to love to sleep," I said with a chuckle. The children laughed as well.

"Hey, what do _your_ names mean?" Leala asked. She had her head tilted, as if she was studying Greg and me. I looked at Greg and he returned the glance.

"Your mother's name means 'grace and beauty'," he said, taking my hand. "And I think that her name is fitting, don't you?" Ah, it's no wonder that I fell in love with him.

"And Gregory means 'vigilant and watchful'," I replied. "So, you can see why your dad was a good CSI..and a darn good flirt." Greg let out a laugh.

"Alright, now that we are all full, I think it's time for some more stories," Leala said with contentment. I sighed.

"Are you sure that you still want to hear the rest of it?"

"_YES!_" they echoed in unison.

"Why are you so interested in the stories?" I asked curiously. I have to admit, at that moment I was quite confused. My kids barely wanted to acknowledge that I existed in public (though I am positive that it was because I was their mother), but now they were at the edge of their seats, trying to get me to finish stories of my life. My life: their mother's tales.

"They're so interesting," Eva admitted. "I never knew that you had done so much stuff in your life. I mean, I always thought that you had always been a teacher, so this is exciting to listen to!"

"Yeah," Baron added, "I think it's awesome that you and dad used to solve crimes. I feel like my parents were super sleuths!"

"Plus," Leala concluded, "we will be able to tell our children that our parents had the coolest jobs ever."

Greg and I turned to each other and realized that our children may nag, may fight, may cause us trouble; but they were worth it all when they acted like this.

"Okay, let's move back over to the living room though," I ended up saying, finding myself a bit more enthusiastic to tell stories that my children were interested in hearing. I had to pause a moment once we were in the other room to think of where I had left off.

"So, do Danny and Lindsay ever get together?" Eva asked with excitement bubbling as if she was watching her favorite TV drama unfold before her eyes. Baron rolled his eyes at his sister.

"I don't care about _that..._what other cases did you solve? And what happened to the dead middle-school kid?"

Leala chimed in with her two-cents. "Well, I think that the most interesting parts are when Mom talks about all the people she met. Tell us more about all the people, Mom, please?"

I looked at my three children—the three who were awake, that is—and nodded along with their comments.

"All of those things will come into play sooner or later," I concluded. "Everything that you guys liked about the stories was a part of my daily life in New York. I dealt with it all. And dealing with everything made me who I am today. So, that being said, I think we need to continue on with this tale of mine, don't you?"

"Yes!" Leala chirped.

I smiled. "Alright now, let me think a moment. I believe that Stella and I had hatched some plans, but none of them ever came through. But, then, in mid-January, my 24th birthday was approaching fast. And that is where a plan began to form…"


	7. The Plot Thickens

**Hey all! I can't begin to thank you all enough for the reviews that you have given me. It is so encouraging to read all of the comments about how much you like the story. It boosts my self-esteem as a writer. Anyway, this is the beginning of the more important of chapters. I have to work from 8am-2:30pm tomorrow (who even _goes _to the grocery store at 8am anyway?) so this is my last chapter until tomorrow afternoon/evening. Read and review and enjoy!**

Chapter Seven: The Plot Thickens

_There's a boy who works at Starbucks, who is very inspirational.  
He is very inspirational because of many things.  
I come in at 8:11, and he smiles and says: "How are you"  
When he smiles and says: "How are you?" I could swear my heart grows wings._

I felt my headphones being tugged out of my ear, away from the land of Kristin Chenoweth and "Taylor the Latte Boy". I was tugged away by Danny, nonetheless.

"Hey, Messer, I was taking a break, you know," I said irritated. I don't like being pulled away from my music: especially not when I am on a break and drinking a nice, hot cup of coffee.

"I need help, and you're the only one not busy right now," he said. I rolled my eyes, set down my coffee and stashed my iPod in my purse.

"This better be important Messer, or I swear that I will kill you."

"Down girl," Danny replied with a smile. I merely glared at him. As it turns out, Danny was stuck on his case. There were strange markings on the back of his male vic that he couldn't seem to identify.

"Magnify the picture again," I said, staring at the markings. Danny magnified it, and he bit his lip in concentration, and leafed through his case file. Suddenly, it dawned on me.

"Did your vic have a relationship with anyone?" I asked curiously. Danny scanned through his file.

"Yeah, some woman named Julia Hines. Wait, Price, where are ya going?" for at that moment, I walked out of the room and headed back towards the break room. Digging through my purse, I found what I was looking for and grinned. Rushing back to where Danny was, I handed him my eyelash curler. He looked at it, eyebrows raised.

"What's this for?" he asked, turning it over. I rolled my eyes. Danny knew nothing about women.

"It's an eyelash curler. See those marks on the back of your vic? You found him face-up, right? Well, these," I said pointing to the indentations on the picture, "were made from an eyelash curler. So unless your vic has some kind of issue, I believe that a woman must have dropped this at the scene before he was murdered."

Danny's eyes widened. "Oh! You know what Price, you might be onto somethin'…" he trailed off, studying the other pictures. I glanced at my watch and tried to silently back out of the room. Unfortunately, Danny noticed.

"Hey, where ya goin' Price? I thought you might be able to help me in case I got stuck again…"

I looked at him sheepishly. "I, uh, actually am meeting someone for lunch."

Danny raised his eyebrows at me, a grin playing on his lips. "Who's the lucky guy?"

I scuffed my feet along the floor. "Well, it's not a date or anything…"

"Out with it Price," Danny said, truly amused at my embarrassment. I could feel my cheeks redden slightly.

"Uh, well, I'm actually supposed to be meeting Flack…"

Danny grinned. "So, you and Flack, eh? Cute."

I knew that my cheeks were red by now, as I felt the heat radiating off my face. But I was learning to be a tough New York girl, and lifted my chin up, staring him right in the eyes.

"Alright, size me up if you will Messer, but I can easily do the same to you. What about you and Lindsay, huh?" I asked with determination. I watched as Danny adverted his eyes from mine.

"Go out to lunch, Price, will ya?"

Oh, that was it. I was ticked now. "No way. You size me up, I size you up. I asked you a question Messer, just like you asked me one. No different, no lies. So spit it out."

Danny lifted his eyes and locked them on mine. "There's nothing to tell," he admitted, though I felt he did so with sadness. I tilted my head and sighed.

"You really care about her, don't you?" I asked. Danny dropped his gaze yet again. "Hey, Messer, look me in the eye and tell me that you don't care about her." He looked up at me, blue eyes meeting green.

"I can't," he said with a shake of his head. He looked around the room and outside the door to make sure there were no witnesses besides myself. "But you better not tell anyone, 'cause I don't want everything leaking out to the lab."

"I won't," I said honestly. I studied his face, his sad yet determined face, and in that instant, I truly felt pity upon Danny Messer. Here, he had fallen for this girl, and didn't know how to deal with it. I pulled up a chair and sat down beside him.

"Look, Danny, I don't know how to go about this…" I began. He held up his hand to silence me.

"What's there to do? You heard her before: she has a boyfriend. One that she's crazy about, apparently." Maybe it was just me, but Danny sounded dejected. I resisted the urge to hug him.

"But I know that she cares about you," I said with determination. "Everyone here knows that you two have chemistry together."

Danny perked his head up. "What do ya mean everyone knows?"

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "C'mon, Danny. You two act like a pair of high school students when you're around each other. Sid even told her before that the reason you call her Montana is because you have a crush on her."

Danny cursed. "What made me tell Sid, I will never know…"

We laughed together. I let out an exasperated sigh, wheels turning in my head. I must have been grinning at the moment, because Danny asked with curiosity: "What? What is that look for?"

"Nothing," I replied innocently. But my mind was stuck on Elsie, my best friend who lived next door to me in my apartment building. I think she was going to love what I had in mind.

"Well, I better get going if I still want to meet Flack," I said, standing from my chair. Danny looked at me and nodded, waving me off.

"Have fun," he said with a small smile.

I waved a hand at him as I walked down the hallway. I caught Stella and Mac lingering at the end of the hall, close to the elevator.

"Hey! Mac, Stella, wait up…I need to talk to you both for a second…"


	8. Only Cab on the Road

**So, as it turns out, people actually buy groceries at 8am. Who knew? Haha. Anyway, here is the latest chapter of our wonderful Anna's story. For the record, I do not own the lyrics at the opening of the chapter. They're from a song called "Cab" by the awesome band Train. And the hotel? Yeah, completelyfictional! In this chapter, we will find out quite a lot of things, so sit back, relax, and enjoy! And don't forget to leave me comments! Thank you everyone!**

Chapter Eight: Only Cab on the Road

_New York snow this time of year _

_There's nothing more beautiful to me _

_Except for you _

_Making my way uptown and down _

_Seeing familiar places and faces _

_In my pile of coffee grounds _

_The days are better, the nights are still so lonely…_

I sat close to my apartment window and tuned up the volume on my radio as I looked outside to the icy streets of the city. The song seemed to fit the mood of the month completely. For the last few weeks there had been snowfall every night. I took a sip of my hot chocolate and pulled my blanket up to my neck. New York was beautiful during the winter, the days of January breaking no higher than 60 degrees each day. I couldn't help feeling a twinge of homesickness though. Granted, I had lived in The Big Apple for about six years, but sometimes I missed the nights of sitting out under the humid Miami sunset. My thoughts were disturbed by a knock on my apartment door. I glanced at the clock, puzzled. Who was visiting me at 10:20 at night?

I answered the door to find Elsie standing there, holding a plate of freshly baked banana nut muffins, and a glass filled with what appeared to be Ocean Spray cranberry juice.

"Why, hello there Miss Price!" she greeted in her bubbly voice. "May I offer you a muffin?"

I laughed and ushered her in. Elsie Scott was my best friend in New York City. Heck, she was probably the best friend that I had ever had in my entire life. She was the kind of woman who would giver her arm, leg, and probably spleen just so that you would be happy. It didn't hurt that she loved to bake too, so I was always greeted by the nicest packages when I got home from work.

"What's in the glass?" I asked her curiously. She giggled. I swear, sometimes she acted just as giddy as a little kid in a candy store.

"It's something one of my co-workers told me to try. Ocean Spray and vodka," she replied, handing me the glass. "Try some! It's really good!" I looked at her, bemused.

"How much have you had to drink tonight Elsie?" I asked with a smile. She rolled her eyes at me, and set down her plate of muffins.

"I guess I'm just excited for you. I mean, it's not every day that your best friend turns 24. And has the best birthday ever planned by her best friend," Elsie said with a grin. I looked at her curiously.

"_Best birthday ever?_" I asked, confused. Elsie and I had planned a girl's weekend after my birthday on the 26th to her house out in the country side of New York. Her parents we apparently very wealthy and prominent people here in New York, but they owned a house out in the country and were letting us and two of our other friends crash there for the weekend.

Elsie could barely contain her enthusiasm and motioned for me to sit down on the couch next to her. "Okay, so you know how you always wanted to have something exciting to do on your birthday to make up for all those lame parties you had as a teenager?" she asked with eyes sparkling.

I nodded. "Yeah. You, Abbey, Charlene and I were going to hang out in the country for my birthday. I mean, a road trip to the country sounds exciting…"

"But not as exciting as what I just planned for you!" Elsie said with a little squeal. "Guess what it is! Come on, guess!"

I laughed and feigned deep thought. "Hmm, Elsie, did you plan a trip for me to LA to meet Elijah Wood?" I asked with a smile. Elsie rolled her eyes.

"I'm good, but I don't work miracles," she stated. I threw my pillow at her face. "Hey now!" she scolded with mock hurt. "Do you want to know, or not?"

"Shoot," I said simply. Elsie looked as if she were about to burst at the seams.

"Alright, well, do you remember how I told you that my extended family is very wealthy?" she asked. I nodded. Apparently, Elsie came from a long line of very successful entrepreneurs. Her uncle in California owned a recording studio, her grandmother had started a clothing line years ago, which today blossomed into a fortune for her. Needless to say, Elsie's family was pretty well off.

"Okay, well, my Uncle David and his wife Eileen are opening a new hotel called The Harmony Suites, about a half an hour or so from here. It's not going to be opened for another month, since some of the suites on the top floor need to be finished, but he has agreed to something," Elsie replied, about ready to bounce off of the couch, "He's letting us use the hotel on the 26th for your birthday party!"

My eyes widened. "You mean, I am going to be in a 4-star, high-class hotel for my birthday?" This was way better than a trip to the country.

"And that's not the best part," Elsie said with a knowing grin.

"What else is there?" I asked, puzzled.

"We are going to be having a, well, kind of themed party."

"A _themed _party?" I echoed, even more puzzled.

"Yes, well, I organized it all this week, and you can hand the invitations out tomorrow. You are going to be having, quite ironic if I do say so myself, a masked murder mystery dinner party!" she exclaimed with glee.

My jaw dropped. "You're kidding me?"

"Nope," Elsie replied with a satisfied smile. I couldn't stop grinning.

"You are probably the best person in the entire universe right now," I said with a squeal, tacking her with a hug. She laughed and shook her head, then proceeded to tell me about the details.

"The way I planned it, we have just enough people to do this thing right. I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of inviting and arranging the teams myself," she said, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket. I shook my head. Elsie knew my friends, so I trusted her judgment.

"This is how it works: we will have a dinner in the Crystal Ballroom, and then proceed to hand out starting clues to the teams. Each team gets a clue to direct them to their next one, so on and so forth in order to solve the mystery of my untimely death…"

"Whoa, wait a second. How come I don't get to die?" I whined.

"Because if you die, you won't get to play the game! And since I already know all of the clues, it's only fair that I be the one to die," Elsie said, before she continued. "Anyway, the teams, or rather, pairs, are arranged as follows: you and Flack…"

"Oh, you didn't…"

"Yeah, well, I figured that maybe you'd be able to find something to talk about outside of work," she said with a helpless smile. I rolled my eyes. My lunch date with Flack had been nice, granted, but all we had really talked about was the case we were both working at the time.

"…Mac and Stella," Elsie continued, reading off her list. "Didn't you say that you thought there was something fishy with them lately?"

I nodded and recalled our brief conversation a few weeks prior.

_"Hey! Mac, Stella, wait up…I need to talk to you both for a second," I said, rushing down the hallway to meet them. They both looked up._

_"Yes?" Mac asked._

_"What do you think of office relationships?" I asked, directing my question to Mac. He looked oddly uncomfortable and turned to Stella for a moment._

_After hesitation, Stella asked: "What do you mean?"_

_"Well, you know, if I feel the need to play matchmaker, would you disapprove?" I asked, pondering the whole Danny/Lindsay situation. Mac faltered._

_"Uh, I suppose that would depend on if it interfered with their work."_

_"Oh, okay," I said with a smile and a wave, before entering the elevator. "Thanks!"_

_I saw them talking in hushed whispers as the door closed, and couldn't help but think that maybe there was something going on…_

"Yeah," I admitted to Elsie. "There is something funny there."

"Perfect then," she said with glee. "Next up we have Danny and Lindsay…"

"Oh, that one should be fun. But at least they're back on speaking terms."

"Poor Lindsay," Elsie said with a slight shake of her head, "I can't believe she dated a jerk like that," she added nastily. As it turns out, Lindsay's boyfriend was more of a flirt than Danny could ever be—and he ended up cheating on her. Elsie ended up coming over to my apartment and consoling Lindsay with me the night of the break-up. Danny must have known that something had happened, because the next day he had whispered to her: "Anyone ya want me to beat up for ya, Montana?" Although she was still in a pretty somber mood, Danny had made her laugh. Things were almost back to normal between the two of them.

"Who else do we have set up?" I asked. Elsie rattled off the rest of the short guest list: Hawkes was set up with Hammerback ("They'll have fun chasing clues," I replied with a chuckle) and Charlene and Abbey were going to be the final pair.

"This is going to be one heck of a party," I stated with a smile.

"You've got it kid," Elsie replied with a wink.


	9. Marvelous Things

**You guys entertain me, seriously. Thank you for showing such an interest in this story. I am afraid that this chapter will once again be void of any of Anna's children or their commentaries, as I have lots of ideas to stuff into a chapter. (And another thing, Iknow nothing about dress types, so all of the descriptions were taken from a website)But, this one is the beginning of Anna and Elsie's nice little plan. Let's see how it works, shall we? Read, review, but most of all: ENJOY!**

Chapter Nine: Marvelous Things

"We're doing _what_?" Danny asked incredulously as he stared down at my invitation. I ignored his comment and passed the invitations to the circle of CSIs gathered around the break room table. They all read the invitations, each equally puzzled. So, I took the liberty of explaining the party to them.

"My friend Elsie planned this all out for me. We'll all meet here on the 26th, and drive down together to The Harmony Suites. Once we're there, we will have dinner in one of the ballrooms, and the pairs will receive their first clues. After that, it will be like a scavenger hunt around the hotel, as each pair will look for the next clue to lead them to their next clue, and so on and so forth. The last clue will lead you to the 'murderer'. After that, we'll all gather in the ballroom once again for dessert."

Hands shot up like impatient schoolchildren. "What does it mean by 'formal attire is required'? You mean we actually have to dress up for this thing?" Danny asked with bewilderment.

"Yeah, Messer, that's the whole point. It's a formal thing. Nice dresses for the women, and tuxes for the male gender. Bow tie is not required, but at least look like you're going on a really fancy date. Okay?"

Danny rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"Who're the teams?" Hawkes asked curiously. I grinned.

"I shall show you," I said with a sweep of my hand. "Messer, move next to Lindsay…" The pair looked at each other with a hint of awkwardness, and moved side-by-side next to the coffee machine. "Mac and Stella, scoot together…" Mac and Stella looked at each other, as if they were expecting it, and stood in the corner. "Hawkes with Hammerback…" The two men looked at each other, shrugged, and paired off a few feet away from Mac and Stella. "And Flack, it's you and me," I said looking up at him. He nodded and moved next to me. "Plus, there are going to be two more of my friends who will be paired together," I added. The pairs glanced around the room at the other pairs they would be facing.

"Alright, well, you all are going down…" Hawkes said with an air of determination. I laughed.

"Whatever helps ya sleep at night," Danny remarked with a laugh. Hawkes glared at him.

"Oh, it's on Messer. It's on."

"Simmer down boys, simmer down," Stella said with her motherly tone, but then added, "because you all know that Mac and I are going to whoop your butts."

"I don't think so Stella," Flack said. "I think it's safe to say that we are gonna own this game." I crossed my arms in front of my chest and appeared to look menacing, but I ended up just giggling at the sight of adults arguing like children.

"Oh, real big threat right there," Danny said with a grin, directing his comment at me.

"You know Messer, a few minutes ago, you didn't want to play this game," I stated. Danny shrugged.

"It sounds like a fun game for a bunch of CSIs to be playing, don't ya think?"

I nodded solemnly. "That's what Elsie thought."

"So, what exactly is your friend Elsie doing throughout this entire party?" Lindsay asked curiously. I was surprised to hear her perk up.

"She's going to be our victim," I said with a smile. The group nodded with satisfaction.

"Obviously, you are all off for the evening of the 26th," Mac said diplomatically. We all nodded again. "But right now, you all have cases to work on. Danny, you, me, and Anna are going to examine a DB found at a club downtown. Stella, you, Lindsay and Flack are off to Central Park. Let's get to work," he said. I sighed. The 26th was a long way off.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_I will remember you,  
Will you remember me?  
Don't let your life pass you by,  
Weep not for the memories._

I was always playing music in the lab, and had been commonly referred to as the "Music Guru". It was a Sarah McLachlan day today, as I played "I Will Remember You", while I was searching for a car to match the tire treads I found at the crime scene I was working. I heard a knock on the door and looked up to see Lindsay standing there.

"Hey," I greeted with a friendly smile. She returned the smile.

"Can I – uh – ask you a quick question?" she faltered, shutting the door. I looked up from the computer.

"Sure," I replied. "Shoot."

"Well, the thing is that, I – uh – kind of only have one really nice dress, and I know that this sounds superficial, but Danny and Mac have already seen me in it, and I was wondering…"

"Say no more," I said with a smile. "Stella already told me the same thing. We're planning on having a girl's shopping day tonight after shift. You're more than welcome to join us."

Lindsay beamed. "That would be great. Thanks Anna," she said, before exiting the room and leaving me to finish my work. I couldn't help but smile. Lindsay was one of the most genuine girls I had ever met. Maybe it was her Montana charm…

I heard another knock on the door, and Flack walked in. I looked up and smiled. "Hey Flack. What's up? Anything new in our case?"

He shook his head. "Naw. Actually, I was wondering what you wanted for your birthday, since there are limited shopping days until you hit the big 2-4."

I hadn't even thought of what I wanted for my birthday. I pulled my tire tread results from the printer and walked around him. "Surprise me," I said over my shoulder.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I pulled out an A-line dress from the rack of a department store and glanced at it, before offering it to Stella.

"You should try this one," I said. Stella studied it and nodded. Lindsay, meanwhile, was leafing through dress upon dress with no luck finding one that she liked. I had already found my heaven-sent dress: a silk emerald halter, with a V-neckline, and a long ruffled drape from a rhinestone brooch. It was the most elegant dress that I had ever seen. Stella modeled the dress for Lindsay and me, and we both gave her a thumbs up. The dress was a black, jeweled Charmeuse Gown. Stella looked stunning in it.

And suddenly, I found the dress. The dress of Lindsay's dreams.

It was a twist front satin gown, with a godget-seamed fishtail hem. I picked it up and marveled at how gorgeous it looked. Royal blue in color, it would suit Lindsay perfectly. The dress was simply gorgeous.

"Oh.My.God." Stella gasped. "Lindsay, you need to try this one on, please," she begged. Lindsay's eyes lit up as they fell on the dress and she smiled.

Needless to say, she bought the dress, and the three of us parted ways and headed back to our own separate apartments. I clicked my apartment key in the lock and hung my dress delicately in my closet.

Elsie came over and we talked for a while. Finally, near the end of our conversation, she asked about the dresses that Stella and Lindsay bought.

"Oh wow," Elsie sighed as I finished the description of Lindsay's dress. "We might be able to knock Danny over with a feather after he sees her in that."

I smirked. "That's the plan, isn't it?"

"Well, part of the plan, remember?" Elsie asked, returning a smirk. "We still have some more stuff to accomplish."

"Speaking of," I said with interest, "how is that last clue coming?"

"It's coming," she said cryptically. "But you know, it's supposed to snow on the 26th," Elsie added. My eyes widened.

"Really?"

Elsie nodded.

"This plan just keeps getting better and better," I said with a grin.

**What is Elsie's plan? What does snow have to do with it? What is going to happen at her party? Be sure to find out…in the next chapter!**


	10. AUTHOR'S CHALLENGE

**Sorry everyone, no update tonight. (I just got home from work, icky, and it's almost 9 o'clock at night). BUT, listen up everyone, because this author has a challenge for you all!**

Anna is, of course, our wonderful heroine and my own personal creation of woman. Her full first name (Annabelle) is my favorite girl's name. But if you remember correctly, very early on (before I revealed that she was Mrs. Annabelle Sanders) I told you all her full maiden name (first, middle, last).

Here is your challenge: I usually don't come up with just any old name for a character, especially an important one. So, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find out what the combination of Anna's middle and MAIDEN last name means. Why is it important? Is her middle/last name combo the name of a celebrity? A character from my favorite movie? A political figure? You may have to do a bit of research on the middle and last name together, since most of you have no idea why they are important together.

I have given up my room for my relatives who are in town, and my computer is hooked up in here, so tomorrow morning will be the first time I check my messages. Message me with what you think Anna's middle and last name mean together, and your reward shall be a walk-on character next chapter, in your honor. So, when you message me, please send your real name along with it, incase you win!

**Let the race for the name begin! Thank you all for showing such an interest in this story. Next chapter will hopefully be up by tomorrow afternoon/evening OR Tuesday afternoon at the latest!**


	11. WINNER OF CHALLENGE!

Congratulations goes to **XUnFoRgEtTaBlEbAbEX** for winning the author's contest! 

The name 'Leah Price' is from a book that I am reading for summer called _The Poisonwood Bible_. In the book, Leah Price is (in my opinion) the most dynamic character of all, for she changes from trying to please her father, to forming her own opinions, speaking out, and becoming a stronger woman.

Thank you to all of you who submitted your responses, and I am sorry that I couldn't make you all into characters.

Be sure to look for the next chapter by the end of the day today!

**Jennifer**


	12. Such Great Heights

**So, a masked murder mystery dinner party is actually a blast, and I used this because I actually went to one for my friend's sweet sixteen. Anyway, back to our wonderful heroine's party: what is with the snow? What is the plan? Why am I asking you questions that only I know the answer to? Haha. Well, thank you for the reviews; seriously, they make me smile. Keep it up!**

Chapter Ten: Such Great Heights

I yawned and made what was probably an unintelligible mumble as I rolled over and tried to swat my alarm clock off the nightstand. _Good morning New York! I hope you all are having a wonderful start to your day! Today's weather forecast is expected to be a bit chilly this morning, warming up to around 60 during the day, with snow flurries expected later on tonight. Today is going to be just wonderful, isn't it Tom? I think…_

Smack.  
Static.  
Silence.

"It's too early in the morning to be that peppy; shut up," I replied curtly to my damaged alarm clock lying on the floor. And then I remembered something. Bolting upright in my bed, I smiled inwardly. Today was January 26th.

Pulling on my bathrobe, I knelt down to pick up my alarm clock, gingerly placing it back on my nightstand. It hadn't broken in the six years that I had chucked it on the floor on mornings like this. Walking into the kitchen, I made myself a cup of coffee and some toast before opening up my apartment door. Usually my neighbor Andrew would leave me the morning paper, because apparently reading it depressed him. I smiled as I not only found my morning paper, but a plate covered in tin foil. Opening it up, I saw that I had fruit, a muffin, and freshly made pancakes and eggs.

Elsie was the best.

I returned into my apartment, sat down and ate my meal. Glancing at the clock, I realized that I had enough time to take a nice warm shower before heading off to work for the day. I hadn't asked for the day off, but Mac assured me that there would be plenty of time for everyone to go back to their homes, get ready, and then return to the lab at 8.

I arrived at the lab, not at all surprised to find the usual bustle of people, but more or less surprised as I opened my locker. For, inside was a single white lily, my favorite flower. I smiled and looked for a note, but didn't find one. I gently put my personal items around it and shut the locker door, and nearly collided (I seem to run into people a lot, I suppose) with Danny.

"Hey Price. Happy 24," Danny said with a cheery smile. I returned the smile.

"Yeah, I'm getting old now…like you!" I replied with a grin. Danny pretended to glare at me.

"Ha-ha Price. You're just lucky I don't hit girls," he said with a smirk, but ruffled my hair. I slapped him playfully.

"Jerk! A woman's hair is the essence of who she is, _and you just ruined my essence, Messer!_ _Come back here!_"

Danny laughed loudly and walked out of the locker room. I rolled my eyes and went off in search of Mac. Even though it was my birthday, I guess I still needed to work. Wandering into the break room I heard shouts of "Happy Birthday Anna!" and saw the CSI team assembled in there, grins on each of their faces.

"Happy 24th birthday," Lindsay said with a smile, handing me a small wrapped box.

"Oh, Lindsay, you didn't have to get me anything…"

"No, no. I insist. Open it up," she said with sincerity. I tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside was an emerald colored necklace—perfect to go along with my dress. I smothered Lindsay with a hug. I was informed that the presents from the other members of the team would be given to me at my party. I picked up a cup of coffee and sighed. It was going to be a long day.

As if reading my mind, Stella picked up her Styrofoam cup of coffee and raised it. "Here's to surviving today!" she said with a smile. We all raised our cups and touched them together in the center.

"No day but today," I replied under my breath, smiling.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_There's only us, there's only this _

_Forget regret, or life if yours to miss _

_No other road, no other way._

_No day but today._

I photographed my crime scene, singing Rent songs under my breath as I went along in order to keep my mind occupied. Ironically enough, we were examining the Romeo-Juliet style murder of two high school actors. The pair was found in the wings of the stage, and Mac was interviewing the student who found them.

"Andrew Gregory and Marion Hill," Mac stated, glancing at his notepad. "They were apparently cast for the leads in none other than _Romeo and Juliet_. Sound ironic enough for you?"

I raised my eyebrows. "You're kidding me. So, a guy and a girl are found dead, the girl with a dagger in her abdomen, and the guy with no outwardly evidence of trauma, and you're telling me that they," I motioned to the dead bodies, "are playing a _Montague_ and a _Capulet_? Unbelievable."

"It's sad, isn't it?" Lindsay asked, kneeling down to collect trace evidence.

"But it's out job," Mac replied.

"_Search, seek, and know how this foul murder comes_," I answered. They both looked at me, puzzled.

"_Romeo and Juliet_, Act 5, Scene 3."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I hailed a cab and sat down in it, exhausted. Our high school students had been murdered by another pair of teenagers who had wanted the roles of Romeo and Juliet. It was sad, I thought, what people were driven to do out of jealousy.

Arriving home, I glanced at the clock which was reading 6:55. At least Mac had allotted us enough time to get ready. Kicking off my shoes, I noticed that I had messages waiting for me on my answering machine. As I ambled around my apartment, I listened to them.

_Hey Anna, I know you are probably working cases today, but we just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. It seems like just yesterday that you were a young girl. We know that you are making your mother proud, and we're proud of you as well. Take care, and have a great birthday!_

I smiled and thought of Aunt Claire and Uncle Jacob. Although they were technically my second-cousins, I had always referred to them as my aunt and uncle. I was thankful for the support and love that they had given to me after my mother's death.

_Have a wonderful birthday, Anna. I have no doubt in my mind that you're making your mother proud by doing what you're doing now. Tell Mac that I said hello._

That one was from Horatio. I was surprised that he even remembered that it was my birthday. I glanced up at the ceiling. Was I making my mother proud?

"I sure hope I am Mom," I said, eyes growing misty.

_Anna! Hey there. I just wanted to let you know that I will be at your apartment at around 7:45ish tonight. Then the fun can start! Woo-hoo! Anyway, I should get back to work now. See you soon!_

I laughed out loud. That was undoubtedly from Elsie.

I allowed myself plenty of time to get ready, applying my make-up carefully and precisely and checking my appearance in the mirror plenty of times. My stomach was in knots. What did I have to worry about? Well, besides the plan. But that was mainly Elsie's department, I thought, calming my nerves.

At promptly 7:45, I heard a knock on my door and answered it. Elsie stood there in her sleek black dress, diamond necklace glistening on her neck. She beamed, and complimented my appearance.

"Ready to go?" she asked, jingling car keys.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I stated.

**What's going to happen in the next chapter? You will just have to wait and see! I know you all LOVE cliffhangers, so I am drawing out the wait until the party as long as I possibly can. Haha.**


	13. One Hand, One Heart

**Hey faithful readers: thank you for the reviews! I am so happy that you are enjoying this story even if I am leaving you hanging, because I know that we ALL love cliffhangers, right? Haha. Anyway, I know that this chapter is going to leave you hanging, yet again, but never fear, because hopefully (cross your fingers) tomorrow I will have time to update. I'm supposed to be going out with friends all afternoon. Okay, so without further ado, here is our story! (Oh, and I don't own any of the songs they are singing in the car, but let's see if you can guess what they are. Wow, that rhymed. LOL).**

Chapter Eleven: One Hand, One Heart

I followed Elsie down to where her Pacifica was parked, and suddenly thought of something rather important.

"Elsie, are we going to have enough cars to carpool to the hotel with?"

Elsie waved her hand and dismissed my worry. "Charlene is the only other person who knows where the hotel is, and she has a Pilot, so she's got enough room for five more people in her car, and I have room for four more in mine."

"Oh," I said with relief. Elsie was good at this whole planning ahead thing. I lifted my dress up carefully and settled into the passenger's seat of her roomy SUV. She got in the driver's side, and I looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Can you drive in heels?" I asked skeptically. She shook her head and flung her shoes onto the floor.

"That is why I shall be driving barefoot," she replied frankly. We laughed together and she started up the ignition. "Oh! I almost forgot," she said digging around in the back seat for something, "here. This is for you." She handed me a CD and I smiled.

"You know I love you right?" I asked, looking at the CD label. "A mixed CD, eh? Let's see what you put on it for me," I said, sliding the CD into the player.

Elsie pulled into the busy New York traffic and waited in silence for the first song to come on. I heard the opening chords and squealed.

"NUH-UH! I LOVE YOU!" I continued, turning the volume up louder. Elsie and I had what we referred to as our song, and the first track happened to be none other than that song.

"Well, aren't you going to sing along Miss Scott?" I asked.

"_Well my heart knows me better than I know myself, so I'm gonna let it do all the talking. Woo-hoo. I came across a place in the middle of nowhere with a big black horse and a cherry tree. Woo-hoo_," she belted as we drove to the lab.

After our song ended, Elsie asked: "What do you think is going to happen tonight?"

I paused and turned down the music a little bit. "I think that your plan is going to work," I said confidently. She smiled and fixed her eyes back on the road.

"Well, you better pray that it does," she said simply. "because I am _not _going through all this effort to come back void of any results!"

I laughed at her. "You know that you are the best, right?" I asked for what seemed like the millionth time that week. Elsie chuckled.

"I know."

"Ooh, did you burn…" I began, and then turned up the CD player's volume and smirked. "You did put it on here!"

"Duh." Elsie stated matter-of-factly, and flicked her turn signal on, but not before being cut off by another driver. "God, I _hate_ New York drivers!" she exclaimed with a frustrated sigh.

I just sat back and began to sing to her: "_Like a comet pulled from orbit, as it passes a sun. Like a stream that meets a boulder, half-way through the wood. Who can say if I've been changed for the better, but because I knew you…I have been changed for good_."

Elsie grinned. "You're a musical-theatre freak, you know that, right? You should be on Broadway instead of being a CSI." I merely shrugged my response, continuing to sing.

"How far away is this freaking lab, anyway? Oh wait, here we go," Elsie said with relief as she pulled up beside the lab. "We're here Sunshine," she added with a smirk in my direction, turning off the ignition, and thus ending my song. I pouted, but got out of the car and into the frigid night air.

"It's going to snow any minute," Elsie replied, pulling her sweater around her bare shoulders. I gripped my shawl and pulled it closer to my ears.

"I hope they all get here on time," I replied, glancing at the clock inside the lab.

"Well, Danny Messer is on time," Elsie noted, as the CSI stepped out of a cab. I gawked, mainly because I had never seen Danny dressed up before. He had taken my advice…sort of. He was wearing a tux, but no tie, so the top few buttons of his white shirt were left open. Elsie's mouth dropped as she saw him.

"You're drooling," I whispered in her ear as Danny shut the cab door.

"How can you work with someone so _hot_?" she whispered back hurriedly. I let out a small laugh under my breath before Danny came over.

"Well, I see that I am on time," Danny noted with a smile, before looking me over. "You look beautiful kid," he said, giving me a hug. I heard a forced cough from beside me.

"Danny, this is Elsie Scott. Elsie, this is Danny Messer," I said, making a formal introduction. Danny politely shook Elsie's hand and Elsie gave him her hundred-watt smile. I heard another cab door slam shut and looked up to see Hawkes walking over, two packages in his hand.

"Hey, Messer, forget something in the lab today?" he asked, handing the CSI a package. Danny looked at it and swore.

"I _knew_ I left it in there," he replied.

"These are undoubtedly for you," Hawkes said with a grin and took the package from Danny's hand along with the one in his hand and placed them in mine. I smiled, and put them on the floor of Elsie's car. While Elsie was being introduced to Hawkes, Sid Hammerback stepped out of his car and waved at me.

"Happy birthday," he said, smiling as he gave me a kiss on the cheek. I mentally checked him off of the guest list, just as a sleek black Honda Pilot parked behind Elsie's car. Abbey and Charlene stepped out, holding presents, and looking extremely elegant, dressed in Prada from head to toe. They beamed and gave me hugs, before I proceeded to introduce them to my co-workers, as we all huddled in a circle, my back facing the building, as I was talking to Danny.

"This is Abbey Martin and Charlene Spalding. They are both reporters for the New York Times," I said, glancing at the pair. Hawkes and Hammerback struck up a conversation with the two women, just as I heard yet another cab open from behind me. Elsie poked me in the side and I ignored her, but hearing her sharp intake of breath, I could gather who was exiting.

"So, what exactly are we going to be eating for…"

Danny paused, mid-sentence and looked over me, straight ahead to where the cab had been moments ago. I resisted to urge to beam at that moment, and instead, fixed my eyes on what, or rather, _who_ he was looking at, although I already knew. Lindsay had taken Stella's advice and had curled her hair at the ends, so that it fell in soft curls down to her shoulders. Her midnight blue colored dress fit her perfectly and accented her petite features.

I looked across the circle at Hawkes, who was watching Lindsay's arrival and Danny's transfixion with utmost enjoyment. Hawkes gave me a quick wink before re-entering a conversation with Abbey. Elsie merely pursed her lips to keep from bursting out laughing.

But I looked at Danny and watched his eyes, which were, at that moment, sparkling. Lindsay approached and Danny tried to remain nonchalant. Yeah, _like_ that would work.

"Lindsay, you look gorgeous," I gushed as she stood in front of me. "Twirl, please." Lindsay laughed and gave a little twirl as her skirt fanned out slightly. I nodded approvingly.

"Aren't you glad that Anna convinced you to buy that?" Elsie asked with a smile. Lindsay nodded. "Hi, I'm Elsie Scott, by the way," she added, as somewhat of an afterthought. Elsie tended to forget to make formal introductions.

Danny cleared his throat and looked at Lindsay. "You look…"

He seemed to pause to find a word suitable. _Lovely? Gorgeous? Beautiful? Perfect? Come on Messer, think!_ I shouted at him silently.

"…stunning."

The inner me nodded approvingly. That worked too. I watched Lindsay advert her eyes from his for a moment as her cheeks grew rosy, though I knew it wasn't from the near-freezing temperature.

"Thank you," she mustered up with a smile. Danny smiled back at her. I wanted to kick them. _Stupid, myopic CSIs_, I thought to myself recalling what I had said to Stella a while back. Speaking of my partner in crime, Stella stepped out of a cab, looking stunningly beautiful in her black dress. Hawkes and Hammerback gave whistles of approval as she drew closer to our circle. Stella merely grinned at them.

"Lookin' good Stella," Danny said with a grin. Stella nodded her head and looked at Danny.

"You clean up well Messer," she said, and I gave a little laugh. Stella complimented Lindsay saying that she looked 'exquisite and beautiful' which caused Lindsay to smile sheepishly. Approaching me, she nodded.

"And you, birthday girl, look like a gem," she said, hugging me and handing me a bag, which Elsie stuffed into her car. "Who're we still waiting for?" she asked. As if on cue, Flack appeared from a cab. Elsie nudged me in the ribs and I rolled my eyes at her. Flack, I have to admit, did look quite handsome in a tux.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, before proceeding to give me a hug. I introduced him to Elsie and the two struck up a conversation. The only person left to arrive was Mac.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see none other than my boss wearing a tuxedo and a smile. "Happy birthday Anna," he said and, surprisingly, drew me into a hug.

"Can we get goin' now? I'm starved," Danny complained. I rolled my eyes at him and clapped my hands to get everyone's attention.

"Alright everyone! I need four people over here please, so that we can hit the road. And Charlene…" Charlene waved at everyone and proceeded to her car, "…can take the rest of you to the hotel."

In the end, Hammerback, Hawkes and Flack decided to ride with Abbey and Charlene, which left Mac, Stella, Danny, and Lindsay with me and Elsie. To my dismay, Lindsay separated from Danny and sat next to Stella in the row behind me, leaving Mac and Danny to sit in the back together. I swear, sometimes, the two of them reminded me of high-schoolers.

"I feel like I'm going to prom all over again," Stella said with an excited smile. The rest of the car laughed.

"Alright. Everyone buckled in?" Elsie asked, turning on the ignition.

"Yes," they all chorused from behind us.

"Then let's hit the road!"


	14. Kryptonite

**You all are amazing. Thank you for being so supportive of this story, in all of its crazy ventures. Your replies make me smile (even though some of them sound on the verge of threatening…LOL). What to expect in this chapter: a VERY interesting car ride and the beginning of my party muse…almost. Well, let the fun begin! And keep those reviews coming! (Oh, and I do not, once again, own any songs that are played in this story, nor do I own the titles of some of these chapters, for they are song titles! This title is by an amazing band called 3 Doors Down, and the last one is from _West Side Story_).**

Chapter Twelve: Kryptonite

"Alright, what else do you have for me on this CD?" I asked as we pulled out once again into the New York traffic. I hit track three and waited for it to start. I let out a gasp.

"What? What's so important?" Danny asked from the back. I made shushing noises at him and turned the volume up louder. I turned around and looked at Stella and Lindsay.

"Do you guys know what song this is?" I asked them.

"Hello! I was _just going to ask that_!" Danny exclaimed indigently from the back seat. Mac rolled his eyes at him, and Stella suppressed a laugh. I turned up the music even louder so that Danny could hear the song.

_I set out on a narrow way, many years ago _

_Hoping I would find true love, along the broken road _

_But I got lost a time or two wiped my brow and kept pushing through _

_I couldn't see how every sign, pointed straight to you._

"Oh, I remember now!" Lindsay exclaimed with a little smile. "I really like this song!"

"I _still_ don't know what song it is," Danny said with a frown.

Lindsay turned around and sung the chorus with the CD.

_Every long lost dream, led me to where you are _

_Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars _

_Pointing me on my way, into your loving arms _

_This much I know is true,_

_That God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you._

Danny seemed to remember the song after the first line of the chorus. "Oh, yeah, I remember now," he said with a nod. Looking at Lindsay, who was singing the rest of the chorus, he replied: "Gee, Montana, I never knew ya felt that way about me." He winked. Lindsay turned back around in her seat, and Mac let out a little cough, which I swear sounded like "Flirt". Instead, I turned the song, and was pleased to find the next song was a more upbeat and non-sappy one.

_All the girls in the bathroom talking, who they're gonna take to the Sadie Hawkins.  
My ears are burning, but I kept on walking,  
Smile on my face and air guitar rocking.  
Sadie Hawkins dance, in my khaki pants, there's nothing better…_

"_Oh, oh, oh_!" Elsie and I sung in unison, letting out laughs, as we recalled the night that we sat in my apartment, blasting Relient K after we had seen them at Madison Square Garden.

_The girls ask the guys,  
It's always a surprise,  
There's nothing better,  
Baby, do you like my sweater?_

"How about somethin' less pop-ish," Danny said with reproach.

"You better not be dissing Relient K," I said with a glare. Danny just glared right back and I turned the CD to track five. Elsie beamed when she saw what I had turned to.

"Fine, Messer, you don't like pop, we have something better for you," Elsie said with a smug tone.

Danny heard the opening chords and groaned, while the rest of the car smiled. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

_525,600 minutes,  
525,000 moments so dear.  
525,600 minutes, how do you measure, measure a year?  
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee?  
In inches, in miles, in laughter in strife?  
In, 525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year in the life?_

"_How about_ _**love**_?" I belted with a smirk. Stella and Lindsay joined in with my Rent sing-along and we were soon making Danny Messer's life a living nightmare, and enjoying every second of it.

"Okay, what does track six contain?" I asked the CD player as it switched to the next song.

"Please, dear _God_, let it not be showtunes!" Danny pleaded with the ceiling of Elsie's SUV. Well, sadly, it wasn't a showtune. It was "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. Out of sheer spite, knowing that Danny would find this song appropriate, I switched over to track seven.

"Hey now!" Danny cried from the back.

"Down boy," I said with a smirk. He rolled his eyes at me. Mac gave me a smile. He was eating this up.

_Well, I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind _

_I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time_

_I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon._

_I feel there's nothing I can do, yeah._

_I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon,_

_After all, I knew it had to be something to do with you._

_I really don't mind what happens now and then,_

_As long as you'll be my friend at the end._

_If I go crazy then, will you still call me Superman?_

_If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?_

_I'll keep you by my side, with my super-human might, kryptonite._

"Much better," Danny said with a satisfied smile, settling back into his seat as four girls in formal wear rocked out to 3 Doors Down.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"And, we're here," Elsie said with a smile, as we pulled up to the Harmony Suites. Everyone's jaw dropped. To say that the hotel was grand would be an understatement. Towering over the surrounding buildings, the Suites glowed with lights from inside, while outside fountains flowed soothingly amidst brilliant gardens of vibrant flowers and exotic-looking plants. Elsie parked and grinned.

"And now I know what a celebrity feels like," Hawkes said with awe. Charlene took in a deep breath and grinned.

"I love this place," she said looking up at the building.

"Well, we're not gonna stare at it all night," Elsie replied with a roll of her eyes. "You'll all get frostbite. Come on, let's go into the lobby. I think Ellen is supposed to greet us," she added, nearly skipping to the front entrance.

"Well, this sure as heck beats _my_ birthday," Stella remarked, walking beside me.

"Next time, I'll let Elsie plan one for you," I said with a little laugh. All of us walked into the lobby, and if we weren't in awe of the exterior, we were gawking at the interior. Brilliantly filled with lights, and decked out in plush maroon and gold carpeting, the lobby was spectacular. There were vases set out on gold-colored tables, filled with fresh roses, carnations, and other striking flowers. The group took a look around, before being ushered by Elsie into the ballroom.

Lit by only candlelight, the Crystal Ballroom was intimate and…_perfectly_ suited for me. My jaw dropped as I looked around at the small tables which were draped in white silk tablecloths with a gold overlay. The centerpiece was an array of beautiful white lilies. Red, pink, and white rose petals were scattered across the tablecloths, and I felt on the verge of tears. Instead of crying, however, I reached over and gave Elsie the most genuine hug she would ever receive. "I take it that you like all of this?" she asked.

I pulled back and nodded. "I feel like I'm getting married," I said with a little laugh. Elsie pulled my hand and led me over to the table that I would be sitting at. Everyone settled at different tables, Flack seated on my right with Elsie on my left. Flack leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"You look beautiful, by the way."

I felt my cheeks redden, thankful that it was dim so he couldn't see them, and I smiled at him. Just then, Elsie rang a hand bell that she had sitting next to her plate.

"Alright, everyone, I would like to propose a toast," she began, holding up her glass of champagne. "To my best friend Anna: I am so thankful that I know you, and that you are a part of my everyday life. And I think that I speak for everyone in the room when I say that you are a beautiful person, inside and out. But more than being a colleague, or a neighbor, you are a friend, and a sister, a member of our great dysfunctional family. I hope that tonight you have a wonderful night with your friends. To Anna!"

"To Anna!" everyone echoed, clinking their glasses together. I beamed and clinked my glass with Flack and Elsie, and took a sip of my champagne.

Elsie continued. "Our dinner tonight is going to consist of multiple courses. Our first course is going to be sushi, and I see that look Messer. If you can eat bugs, you can eat sushi." The room filled with laughter. "Continuing our menu, there will be salad and rolls, and our main course for tonight is going to be steak and vegetable medley. Our dessert will be served after we play our murder mystery," Elsie finished.

Servers came out of the back room with plates of sushi for each of us. I looked around the room, curiously. Danny and Lindsay were seated at a table with Hawkes and Abbey. All of them seemed to be involved in a conversation, with Lindsay chiming in every few words. I had a feeling it was the explanation of Elsie's "eating bugs" comment.

At the table across from them, Mac was chatting animatedly with Hammerback. I was guessing that it was probably about a case, knowing those two. Stella and Charlene seemed to be having a good time, talking and exchanging compliments.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Flack asked, bringing me back to reality.

I smiled. "Just thinking about how lucky I am to have friends like this."

Flack nodded. "Well, we're lucky to know you," he replied genuinely. I beamed at him and heard Elsie cough beside me.

"And," I added, "I am so very lucky to have a best friend like this one," I said, placing my arm around Elsie, giving her shoulders a squeeze, before returning to my sushi.

Elsie rang the bell again, and the room quieted. "I regret to inform you all," she began, reading off of a piece of paper from an envelope at the center of the table, "that at approximately 8:00 tonight, Elsie Marie Scott was found dead in the lobby of the Harmony Suites…"

"And that's bad news, _why_?" Danny asked jokingly. If looks could kill, Danny would have been dead, resurrected, and then killed again by Elsie.

"We can easily make _you_ the murder victim of the party, Danny," Elsie replied shortly. I could tell that she was joking, as her mouth twitched slightly. I don't think that he realized she was kidding though, so he shut up automatically.

"Like I was saying," Elsie continued. "at 8:00 this evening, Elsie Marie Scott was found dead in the lobby of the Harmony Suites. Before she died, Elsie left behind an elaborate set of clues to lead a team to her killer. Your job is to follow these cryptic codes in order to find her killer. Immediately following dinner, you all will proceed into the lobby where the hotel staff will hand you the starting clue. When you reach the destination that the clue describes, there will be another clue waiting for you. You will continue until you reach your last clue, which is marked with a star. Following the last clue will lead you to the killer."

Everyone around the room nodded as they ate their salad and bread.

"Thank you for playing this game. I hope that you are able to find out who killed Elsie," Elsie concluded.

After dinner, the tables emptied out into the lobby, Elsie following us. A woman and a man dressed in the hotel's uniforms acknowledged us as we entered the lobby for a second time that night.

"Would you all please separate into your pairs?" the woman asked kindly. We all rearranged ourselves. "Thank you. Now, you may not open these envelopes until I say so," the woman directed as she passed out different colored envelopes to each team. "You may not steal another team's clue, or share any clues with the other teams. You may not hide another team's envelope, and may not speak to any other team members other than your partner," she continued.

Flack and I had a periwinkle envelope, and I held it in my hands like a sacred treasure.

"On my count, you will open your envelope and proceed to your first destination. You are allowed to ask anyone in a hotel uniform for assistance on your clue, but be forewarned that they can not tell you directly where to go. Is everyone clear on the rules?"

We all nodded and waited for the count eagerly.

"On my count: ready, set…go."

The tearing of envelopes was heard throughout the lobby and I frantically opened my envelope, and pulled out our first clue.

**MWHAHAHAHAHAHA. Cliff-hanger! I know, I am totally evil, right?**


	15. Dare You to Move

**I love going to my inbox these days, because I never know exactly what you guys are going to think of a chapter. It makes it enjoyable to watch your reactions as my twisted little plot unfolds, and believe me, in the next two chapters, it WILL get more twisted…but in a good way. So, Flack and Anna's first clue is an actual clue that my team and I got while playing a version of The Amazing Race at camp this summer. LOL. We couldn't figure it out and had to ask for help on it. Anyway, onward and forward to the story!**

Chapter Thirteen: Dare You to Move

"Now, _this_ is getting interesting!" Eva exclaimed, sitting at the edge of her seat. Leala had wide eyes and Baron was had his eyes fixated on me. "So, Mom, how come you didn't end up marrying Flack? It seemed like you really had a thing for him."

I looked over at Greg, and we both laughed. "Well, I did 'have a thing' for him. And…well, like I said before, things don't always go the way that you plan them to."

Eva scrunched her face up. "You just didn't marry him because you met Dad, right?"

Again, Greg and I laughed. "I was too young to think about marriage when I met Flack or when I met your Dad. I only met your father when I was 24. But like I told you guys earlier, we'll get to that story after we finish this one."

"Then hurry up and finish the story already Mom!" Leala whined.

I laughed. "Well, we still have a while to go, but sure. This is what happened next…"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Flack peered over my shoulder as I looked at the clue.

_You have a song you want to sing, but your roommate forgot the W._

Flack and I stared at each other, puzzled. A song? I thought for a moment, and Flack seemed to be unable to make heads or tails of our clue, which wasn't all that bad, considering none of the other teams had moved from their spots.

"Your roommate forgot the W?" I muttered under my breath.

"What does that mean?" Flack asked in a hushed whisper. I was thinking too hard. Okay, sing? Song? What did that mean? Then, it dawned on me.

"If you take the W out of 'swing', you get sing!" I whispered with excitement. The woman in the hotel uniform looked at us with a smile and pointed down the hall. We took off jogging together to find a swing, me hiking up my dress as I ran.

Peering around the corner of the hallway, I found that there were double glass doors at the end, leading to a patio. Flack and I smiled at each other.

"Race you," he said with a broad smile. I frowned as he took off running.

"Unfair advantage! Girl in a dress here!" I shouted to him. He threw an apologetic smile over his shoulder and pushed through the double doors as I jogged behind him. We stepped out into the cold night air and looked around the patio. When the hotel was open in the summer, there would sure be plenty of people gathered around the pool and the wet bar that we passed.

"Aha!" I noted, pointing to a hanging swing near a bunch of potted plants. Flack reached under the seat of the swing and pulled out another periwinkle envelope.

"Let's see what this one says…" he said, tearing the envelope.

_Serve up some sand._

"Oh, that's easy," I said nonchalantly. "Volleyball court."

Flack and I wandered around the patio for a few minutes until we saw the athletic courts. I frowned when there was no volleyball court to be seen. A gust of cold wind blew and I wished that I had brought my shawl with me. Flack must have noticed my shivers, because he took off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders gently.

"Wouldn't want the birthday girl to die of frostbite," he said with a smile. I pulled the jacket close to me, comforted. It was warm, and it smelled like him.

"I don't get it," I said with confusion as we reached the basketball court. "The clue clearly meant the volleyball court, but there is none to be seen…"

"Hey there!" someone called out from the other end of the court. The person was wearing a hotel uniform and was waving in our direction. Flack merely shrugged and yelled back: "Hey! Which way to the volleyball court?"

The man shook his head. "I have your clue. The volleyball court never got built. We didn't have enough room, but I guess Elsie didn't hear about the change in plans when she made up your clues."

We made our way over to the man who handed us yet another periwinkle envelope. I pulled it open and caught something that fell out. It appeared to be a room key. Flack raised his eyebrows and I read the clue out loud to him:

_Where do you find Anna, when allthe numbers spell her name?_

I frowned. "This is odd."

Flack grinned. "Naw, I get it. Look, 'all the numbers spell her name'. That means that in order to find what room this key belongs to, we need to spell your name out, like it would be in numbers."

"Oh!" I said with a smile, and the hotel worker nodded. Flack pulled out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Trying to find out which numbers are used to spell your name. Alright, so on the phone, your name spelled would be 2662. So, am I correct to assume that we need to go to room 2662?" Flack asked the man. The worker nodded and winked.

"You better hurry up. You two have another clue to find."

Flack gave me a smile, placed his phone back in his pocket and ran ahead of me.

"Thank you!" I yelled over my shoulder to the hotel worker. He merely waved back at me, and I rushed to catch up with Flack. If I would have known that I would be running, I wouldn't have bought a long dress! I thought to myself. We reached another set of double doors, leading back into the hotel. We flung open the doors, and rushed to the elevator, nearly running into Danny and Lindsay, who were looking quite rushed.

Flack paused as we got into the elevator. "Do you know what floor room 2662 would be on?" he asked. I thought of the map that we saw when we came into the hotel and wished that I could remember it. As if an answer to my prayers, Elsie (or rather the _spirit_ of Elsie, for she was _supposed_ to be dead) flung a map into the closing elevator. She winked at me and proceeded to walk in the direction that Danny and Lindsay went.

"She's crazy, isn't she?" Flack asked with a grin. I nodded and laughed, but then focused on reading the map.

"Alright Flack, we need to get on the 14th floor."

"Going up."

The elevator let out a _ping_ on the 5th floor as Mac and Stella stepped inside, clutching a lime green envelope. They both managed friendly smiles, and pressed the button to the 15th floor. We all stood in silence, none of us daring to break the rules of the game. Hearing the elevator _ping_ again, I realized that we were only on the 8th floor. Hammerback and Hawkes stepped inside, Hawkes holding a pastel pink envelope. Hammerback leaned over to push the button for the 10th floor, and gave me a wink. I winked back and exchanged a smile with Hawkes. The elevator opened, and the pair stepped out, glancing at their paper as they proceeded down the hall. The 14th floor came soon enough, and we waved our silent goodbyes to Mac and Stella before continuing to embark on our mission.

**Yes, that is all. Two chapters in one day should hold you guys over, in case I can't update tomorrow. Haha. The next chapter is a big one, so I need to make sure that I set up this one before I continue. :)**


	16. Irony

**To everyone who replies to this story: ****THANK YOU! It makes me happy to read such nice reviews, mainly from people who have stories that I equally love! And yeah, 3 Doors Down pretty much rocks. Okay, now onward to the next chapter: which you all are going to love/kill me for. One more cliffhanger before the end of the party!**

Chapter Fourteen: Irony

"Okay, let's try and find this room," I said as Flack and I wandered down the hallway together. Abbey and Charlene passed us, too absorbed in their clue to notice, however. "Alright, well, it should be somewhere around here…2659…2660…2662!" I said triumphantly, pulling the card key out of our envelope. Sliding it into the door, it opened with a soft click.

"Now what?" Flack asked curiously, wandering around the room.

"I guess we need to find…"

Flack held up a glass with another periwinkle envelope attached to it.

"…that," I finished with a smile. He tore open the envelope and unfolded the next clue.

_You've got some nice bling on, I see._

Flack frowned, bewilderment etched on his face. "That one sounds more like a statement rather than a clue," he said.

I licked my lips and tried to concentrate. Elsie made up the clues, so I had to think about where she was coming from.

"What about the gift shop in the lobby?" Flack suggested. "Maybe it has jewelry in it."

I shook my head and brushed the brunette hair out of my face. "No, that would be too easy. Elsie thinks on a less literal level than that…wait a second! That's it! Flack, what was the clue attached to?" I asked with a smile.

"A glass," he stated simply. "Why?"

"She gave us two hints here: another name for bling, and the statement after the comma…" I trailed off as we exited the room.

"What do you mean?" he asked, thoroughly confused.

"Say 'I see' really fast…" I said, shutting the door to the room.

"I see…I see….I see…_icy_!" Flack said with a smile of satisfaction. The other part of the clue dawned on him as well. "And another name for bling is…"

"…ice," I finished with a grin. "Which means that we need to find the ice machine on this floor to get to our next clue."

We walked in silence until we reached the end of the hallway, where we were stopped by a hotel maid, and politely informed that we were on the opposite end of the hallway from where the ice machine was. We looked at each other, and groaned, heading back in the direction that we had come from.

Finally, we neared the end of the floor's hallway, and paused, finding the ice machine in one of the rooms. I pulled our next envelope from it, and tore it open. All that came out was a piece of stationary with a flamingo holding a bowling ball.

"And now I am officially lost," Flack muttered. I scrunched my face up in concentration. A flamingo and a ball…but that was it!

"There are about a dozen different ballrooms downstairs, and we need to find one that is associated with a Flamingo…I think Elsie mentioned something about a Paradise Ballroom…" I said, talking mainly to myself at this point.

"It's a good thing that I'm working with Elsie's best friend," he said to me. I smiled.

"Yeah, she planned out all the pairs." The elevator door opened with Hawkes and Hammerback looking very determined as they nearly ran out of the elevator and onto our floor. Flack and I stepped into the elevator and then I proceeded to dissolve into a fit of laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" he asked, pressing the button for the Lobby. I wiped my eyes, nearly crying from my hysterics.

"I just thought: wouldn't it be hilarious if Abbey and Charlene, the only pair of non-CSIs beat the rest of us out?"

Flack thought, and began to laugh with me. "I thought Hammerback was going to plow you over when he and Hawkes got off the elevator!"

I laughed again. "You know, this has been, if nothing else, a demonstration of just how far a CSI will go to solve a case."

"Even one that has no point whatsoever," Flack replied with a smile.

The elevator came to a halt, and we found ourselves, once again, in the Lobby of the Harmony Suites. Walking towards the front desk, I saw the man and woman who had been with us when we opened our first envelope.

"Excuse me," I said politely. The woman fixed her hazel eyes on me and smiled.

"Yes dear, what can I do for you?"

I pulled the piece of stationary out of my envelope and explained the clue to her. "Is there a Paradise Ballroom, or a Flamingo Ballroom, or something to that extent down here?"

The man nodded and pointed down the hallway, to the left. "You'll find both ballrooms down that-a-way. We can't tell you which one your clue is in though, sorry."

I nodded and thanked them, as Flack and I proceeded down the hallway.

"Alright," I said with satisfaction, as we opened the double doors to the Paradise Ballroom. I gasped as we looked inside. In the center of the room, there must have been dozens of blown up balloons.

"Flack, do me a favor and go a few doors down and see if there is a Flamingo Ballroom."

Flack walked further down the hallway and nodded, as he opened the doors to the ballroom. "Yeah, Anna, there are about another dozen balloons in here too," he shouted from inside the threshold. I let out a sigh, and yelled back.

"We'll have to start popping them, since the clue is obviously somewhere in the balloons."

"Alright Price, I'll race ya!"

I smiled. "Okay, on my count. Ready, set, POP!" I ran to the center of the ballroom and began popping balloons like crazy, hoping to find a piece of paper in one of them.

"I got it!" Flack yelled from the other room. I rushed out of the room to meet him, just as he was reading the clue, obviously dumbfounded.

"This one makes no sense," he said with confusion, placing another card key in my palm. "And it's our final clue, too," he added, pointing out the star on the paper.

I leaned over and read the clue out loud.

_Who am I? I'm Jean Valjean!_

I beamed. Elsie knew me all too well. Grabbing Flack's hand, I pulled him down the hallway and to the elevator.

"Woah, Price. You know what this means?" he asked, struggling to hold the clue in his hand and run at the same time. I nodded. I didn't even have to read the other paper that came attached to the clue.

"_Les Miserables_," I explained as I hit the button for the 15th floor, "is my favorite musical, and in it there is this convict named Jean Valjean."

"Okay…" Flack said, still confused. "What does that have to do with our clue?"

"I'm getting there, just wait. Now, each convict had a number tattooed on their chest. Well, Valjean bursts out in the play: Who am I? 24601!"

"So, we're going to room 24601?" Flack asked with eyebrows raised skeptically. "There _is_ no room 24601."

"I think we're just going to room 2460 then," I replied with an all-knowing grin, that I prayed Flack hadn't noticed.

We headed out of the elevator on the 15th floor, and headed to the left. I hoped that I knew where I was going without my map. But as it turns out, I didn't need to know where room 2460 was, because Abbey and Charlene were already sitting against the wall. When they saw us coming, they waved their clues and smiled.

"That was a good one of Elsie's," Charlene said with a smile. "It's a good thing that Abbey here is just about as big of a theatre freak as you are," she added, motioning for me to sit beside her.

Flack was puzzled. "Woah, wait a second here, _they _won already?"

Abbey glanced over at me with bewilderment. "Didn't you tell him?"

I shook my head and peered down the hall to see Mac and Stella walking towards us. "But I guess I have to explain to them sometime soon."

"No need," I heard Elsie say as she appeared from behind Mac and Stella with Hawkes and Hammerback in tow.

Flack was still confused. "Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" he asked upset.

"I'd like to know that as well," Mac said with a frown. Elsie, Charlene, Abbey and I all exchanged glances.

"Well?" chorused the CSIs.

"Alright, I'll explain…" Elsie began, herding everyone away from room 2460 and towards the elevator.

**Uh-oh. What's going on? Why is everyone at the same spot? And why did the girls know about this already? Well, you'll know…next chapter! MWHAHAHA**.


	17. When Did You Fall?

**Do I really have to continue to tell all of you reviewers how awesome you are? No, I think you already know this, so I might as well continue to the story. Shall we? Read and review please! (These titles are continuously going to be song titles, until my muse gets bored with them!) A/N: Okay, so I lied, this chapter has a cliffhanger too. I wasn't planning on this happening, but the idea popped into my head. This chapter is going to be shorter because the next one will be coming from Elsie's POV.**

Chapter Fifteen: When Did You Fall?

_This is it, Elsie. They're going to kill us all, and then no one will ever be able to find out who did it, because they're all CSIs, so our deaths will forever be a mystery. Great, Elsie. You're going to get me killed on my birthday!_

My thoughts were drifting all over the place as Elsie led the group away from room 2460. Stella looked around at the group, puzzled.

"Where are Danny and Lindsay?" she asked.

"Well, that's the thing…" Elsie began, throwing me a worried glance.

"Did something happen to them?" Mac asked, concerned. I shook my head, and turned to look at Charlene and Abbey. Mac studied our looks and his concern faded into confusion. "Wait? You all knew about this?"

I nodded. "Just Elsie, Charlene, Abbey, and myself."

Well, that was it. The entire group was talking at once, trying to understand what was going on. Elsie quieted them with a swift wave of her hand.

"Let me explain…"

"Yes, please," Hawkes said in a rather irritated voice. I gave Elsie a reassuring smile, as she blew a strand of hair out of her eye.

"…here's what happened tonight: I, or rather, we," she motioned to the little circle of girls, "set up Danny and Lindsay."

The group looked quizzically at Elsie, and she took that as her cue to continue. "The thing is, ever since Anna started working at the lab, she would come back to her place, and we'd talk about her day. More days went by when she mentioned two people who worked at the lab that she thought would make a nice couple, if only they would realize the attraction between them. So, as Anna's birthday began to draw closer, we," she motioned to Charlene, Abbey, and me again, "decided to take matters into our own hands."

"So, you set them up?" Flack asked with his detective voice, the one that he used to get his suspects to talk further.

"Yes, and we figured that tonight would be the perfect opportunity to do that. So, when I made up the pairs, I purposely put them together. And, as you have noticed, I gave you all the same final clue so that you would end up here."

"But wait a second," Hawkes said with bewilderment, "if you gave us all the same clue, then how come Danny and Lindsay aren't out here with us?"

Abbey spoke up. "You see, in order to – well – get them together, there had to be a way to make sure that none of us ended up in the same final spot as they did."

"So, their second-to-last clue was room 2460," I explained.

Stella frowned. "Then what is their last clue?"

Elsie sent a tiny smile in my direction and I tiptoed to the end of the hallway, pulling out sheets of poster board from a utility closet. "Their last clue was this: _A falcon on bended knee_."

The entire group sat, thoughtful.

"Well, consider the fact that they were already in the room when they read this clue," she remarked, taking the posters from my hand.

"Oh," Hammerback said with a grin. "the _balcony_. I get it now." The rest of the group murmured in agreement before Mac spoke up.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked, with interest. Elsie raised her eyebrows at him.

"Are you kidding me? You actually want to help me get them together?" she asked incredulously.

"Come on, Elsie. We have all wanted to see them together," Hawkes replied with a smile. "Now, what can we do to help?"

Elsie beamed and began to divulge her plan to them.

"And, I think that is a good place to stop, right?" I asked teasingly to the kids. They all burst out in _Mom that is totally not fair!_ And _You have to finish the story!_ And _Don't leave it like that!_

"Please Mommy," Leala begged with her puppy-dog pout. The other children joined in, and soon, I wasn't sure if I had a room full of my flesh and blood, or a room full of whining abandoned dogs.

"Okay, so if you want to know that badly, listen up, because I will only tell this story once…"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Basically, this is how it's going down tonight," Charlene explained as Elsie began to write things on the posters. "Their final clue was to wait out onto the balcony of room 2460. At the very bottom of their clue, it said to wait out there for further instruction. Of course, they think that they've won, and that the murderer is going to be revealed to them."

"But we know better," I said with a smirk, following Charlene's lead. "Elsie will sneak over to the balcony and lock the door. That is our cue to file quietly into the room. Now, Elsie is going to be the only one who is allowed to be seen by Danny and Lindsay, so we need to make sure to stay out of view."

"What are the posters for?" Stella asked.

"Precisely what I am about to explain," Abbey said with a smile. "Once Elsie finishes writing her clues and responses on the poster, she will hold them up to the balcony window for Danny and Lindsay to read."

"And what do they say?" Mac wondered.

"You'll see," Elsie said cryptically. "Alright, is everyone ready to go?"

We all nodded and Elsie pulled out her card key.

"Then let's do this thing."

Elsie let the door to room 2460 click softly open, and she silently motioned for us all to come through the threshold. I crawled on my hands and knees (which was difficult to do in a floor-length dress, mind you) with a trail of CSIs following behind me. Elsie held a finger up to her lips, as she placed the posters against the wall. We all sat silently against the wall that her posters were up against. Elsie gave us all a curt little nod and a salute as she picked up the first poster and crawled to the balcony door.

"Wait a second Mom," Eva interrupted. "How did you know what was going on after this? You couldn't see what Elsie was doing."

I nodded. "You're right; none of us could see what she was holding up to the window. She wouldn't let us get anywhere close to it, for fear that Danny or Lindsay would see the entire group and begin to get suspicious."

"So you sat there, the whole time, and didn't know what was going on?" Baron asked curiously.

"Yes, until the very end of her plan came, and then she allowed me to join her at the balcony door, while the others watched through the window. Elsie told me later on exactly what had happened while she was holding up her posters…"

"Ooh! What did they say?"

"What happened?"

"What was her plan?"

I grinned and replied softly. "Well, this is what Elsie told me happened…"

**Hurrah. The mother of all cliffhangers arrives!But I have to be sure to get this next chapter right before I post it. :)**


	18. Spare an Angel

**Alright, so after losing my entire copy of this chapter (I'm still a little bitter about that), I re-wrote it, and am actually putting a more humorous edge to it, because that is how Elsie would write it! Anyway, read and review! Especially you, sparkyCSI! I want to see what you think of my new walk-on character. Haha.**

Chapter Sixteen: Spare an Angel

Well, this was it. I prayed that my plan would work, and still, I felt a knot inside my stomach the size of Montana—no pun intended…okay, I lied, pun intended.

I took one last look at Anna and the group. Anna gave me a reassuring smile, and Hawkes gave me a thumbs up. I smiled back at them and took a deep breath before moving towards the balcony door. Crawling on my hands and knees (which was not easy to do in a floor length dress and a couple of posters in one hand) I made my way quietly over to the balcony door. Peering out, I saw that Danny and Lindsay were looking at the New York skyline, backs towards me. I let out a sigh of relief and clicked the lock down on the door.

_Alright Elsie, you can do this. All you have to do is hold up some posters. You can do this, you can really do this._

I took a deep breath, stood up, and tapped the glass door of the balcony. Danny and Lindsay glanced in my direction and they smiled at me, moving towards the door. I shook my head, motioning for them to stop walking, and they paused, obviously confused.

"Why can't we go inside?" Danny asked, puzzled. I held up the first poster.

_You still have one more clue left._

The pair looked at each other and Lindsay asked: "But this means that we've won, right? No one else has gotten this far?"

_Nope. You are the winners._

Danny and Lindsay gave each other congratulatory hugs, and I took that opportunity to pull out my next poster. I tapped at the window again to get their attention. Breaking apart, they read what was written on the poster board.

_But, you still need to solve the last clue. Are you ready?_

Lindsay looked at Danny with a determined face and nodded. "We're ready." I held up a finger to let them know that I would be back with the next poster in a second. Ducking back near the door, where the entire group was seated, I pulled out the clue on the poster, along with a sharpie. They'd eventually need my assistance. Everyone was looking at me expectantly and I hissed: "Wait for my signal. Anna knows what to do."

I gave them a curt nod, and Hammerback saluted me. I smiled and returned to the balcony door.

_Your last clue is this: It's tic-tac-toe and a candy sweet. They even say it'll knock you off your feet._

I felt quite proud of my cryptic clue (not to mention my poetic capabilities), and silently wondered who would figure it out first. I had a bet going with Abbey. She thought Lindsay would figure the clue out first, and I had my money on Danny. However, both of them at the moment looked completely stumped. I turned the poster board around so that the clue was facing me and drew a fake game of tic-tac-toe on it. I turned the poster back around and the two of them looked at it. Continuing to hold the poster up with my left hand, I brought my right one down to my side and used my index finger to make a small circular motion. It was the code. Anna silently crept to the edge of the wall, close to my feet, and Flack moved behind her, creating a train of CSIs.

Danny and Lindsay didn't notice, of course, because: A) the entire team was hidden from view and B) they were much too focused on the clue that they were trying so very hard to decipher.

Lindsay was beginning to rub her hands together in order to keep warm. Danny, being the complete gentleman that he was, took off his jacket and draped it gently over Lindsay's shoulders. I resisted the urge (it was hard, I must say) to squeal at that moment, and instead I gave Danny and Lindsay another look, hoping that one of them would figure out the clue before both of them froze to death. I nearly gasped though, because outside, tiny crystals of snow flurry began to spiral down from the heavens, falling gently onto the balcony, and onto my favorite clueless couple. Clueless as the two of them together may be, Lindsay was good when it came to clues.

"I don't get it," she started, "Tic-tac-toe…well, you use x's and o's to play that game…but what does candy have to do with it? Sweet candy, X's and O's…oh."

_Damn it. I owe Abbey five bucks._

That was the cue for the peanut gallery to sneak over to the window. Danny had adverted his eyes from the clue and was now looking curiously at Lindsay. "What? What does it mean?"

Lindsay, even though I couldn't see her terribly well, was turning a brilliant shade of pink, and was tracing neat little spirals in the freshly fallen snow with the heel of her shoe.

Anna sat silent beside me, trying to contain her laughter, or the urge to smack the pair of them upside the head. New York was starting to rub off on her, you know.

"Think about it Danny," she said without looking directly at him. Danny frowned in concentration as I pulled Anna to her feet. Now.

The shades were drawn on the window and I pulled the clue card down so that Danny and Lindsay could see all of us. Lindsay, I had the feeling was about ready to jump off the balcony from embarrassment, and Danny—bless his little male heart—still had no idea what the clue meant.

"Will someone please explain that clue to me?" he said in exasperation. "And what is everyone doing here? Oh no…wait. X's and O's…and candy…you set us up!" he cried incredulously. Suddenly he raised his eyebrows and asked calmly: "You set us up?"

I rolled my eyes and replied: "It took you long enough."

"Are you going to answer that clue, or what?" Anna asked daringly. Danny looked down at Lindsay who was still scuffing her heel in the balcony's floor. She met his gaze.

"Look, Danny, you don't have to do anything. I mean…"

I can't recall at that moment exactly what I did, but I am pretty sure it contained one or more of the following: screaming, jumping up and down, or hugging Anna.

Lindsay had no need to finish her sentence, because Danny had wrapped one arm around her waist, and drew her into a kiss. And from the looks of it, with Lindsay wrapping her arms around Danny's neck, neither of them looked the least bit uncomfortable. And then, from beside me, Anna gasped and pointed out the window. My hands flew over my mouth, and we looked at each other. Like some perfectly fashioned children's fairytale, the snow began to come down faster, falling gently down all around and atop of Danny and Lindsay. Breaking apart, the two of them looked up to the heavens, then back at each other, and laughed, Lindsay resting her head on Danny's shoulder. Danny raked his hand through her curls, and the chorus of 'aw' was heard between the women left in room 2460.

Pulling her away from him, Danny looked into Lindsay's eyes and gave her a gentle kiss on her nose, which led to yet another chorus of 'aw' from the women in the room. You had to hand it to him, Danny Messer knew how to be romantic in the end-of-a-chick-flick kinda way. Looking back into the room, the pair motioned for me to unlock the door. I grinned like a giddy school girl, and obliged, letting the pair back into the hotel room. For a minute, all was silent, and then Mac stepped towards Danny and Lindsay, and we parted faster than you can say 'Red Sea'.

Danny and Lindsay looked to each other and before either one could say a word, Mac interrupted.

"Your lives are your lives, and I can't do anything about that," he said in an authoritative tone, then added in a softer tone: "nor do I want to. I am behind you both one hundred and ten percent, on two conditions: one, you do not let it interfere with any of your cases."

Both Danny and Lindsay nodded solemnly. Work was one thing that they both took seriously. "And your second condition: Danny, don't hurt her."

Danny looked down at Lindsay, their gazes meeting. He took her hand and promised, "I never will."

We would have broken out into another chorus of 'aw' for the third time that evening, if Mac hadn't continued. "And, for the record, I am not anti-dating co-workers…in fact, I might try it myself sometime," he said, making a very poignant glance at Stella. Anna looked at me and smiled, and we squeezed hands, a silent 'aw' uttered between the two of us.

"Alright, that's it! Unless there is another pair in here, speak now or forever hold your peace, because I want some dessert!" Hawkes exclaimed. The entire room burst out in laughter.

"I already got my dessert," Danny said with a wink at Lindsay. She playfully shoved him, but decided that the option she liked better was snuggling closer to him. I motioned for everyone to exit the hotel room and return once more to the Crystal Ballroom. And I swear on my life, that for a fleeting moment, Mac and Stella were holding hands as we descended in the elevator.

A petite woman with long curly red hair greeted us in the ballroom. "Good evening everyone. My name is Kristina, and it is with great pleasure that I welcome you all back into this ballroom to continue the celebration of Anna's 24th birthday." We all applauded wildly. "And now, if you don't mind, we are going to sing 'Happy Birthday'. Afterwards, we will open the dance floor so that you can all burn off all of those cake calories!" We laughed again. After we sang to Anna (we sounded quite good, actually) and dove into eating our cake, the real fun began. I convinced Kristina to take pictures of us on the dance floor, because Hammerback doing the Macarena, or Hawkes doing the YMCA was just too good to not have as blackmail photos.

"Thank you all for coming tonight to the Harmony Suites, and I hope that you all have a wonderful rest of the evening!" Kristina said with a wave of her hand as we exited the hotel. Stepping out into the cold night air, we all parted our separate ways.

"Thank you so much for a great time, and have a happy birthday!" Stella said, waving her hand at Anna and stepping into a cab with Mac. As they drove off, Hammerback and Hawkes said their goodbyes and parted, each man going home. Danny and Lindsay gave both Anna and me bone-crushing hugs before they settled into a cab together. Abbey and Charlene waved their goodbyes, smiling and promising to call in the morning.

And that left one other person.

"Hey," Flack said with a smile, walking up to where Anna and I were getting into my car. I decided to let Anna say goodbye and I turned the keys in the car's ignition, thankful for the warm air that was beginning to blow out of the heater. I glanced out the passenger's side window and saw Flack lean down and give Anna a soft kiss on the lips. Then he too stepped into a cab and drove off. Anna opened the car door, and took one look at my smirking face before replying:

"Don't you _dare_ say 'I told you so'."

"Fine," I agreed, checking the left hand lane for traffic before pulling out into it. We looked at each other for a minute before I spoke again. "Then how was it?"

Anna looked at my smiling face and we both dissolved into the kind of laughter only reserved for the best of friends.

**Flufflove, right? Haha. Well, this is the end of the DL mystery fluff. But I am sure that you all still want to know how Greg and Anna met, right? Because then we get not one, not two, but THREE CSI teams involved! Yeah, I think we're due for a Vegas/NY/Miami cross-over. But that will come after this next chapter. Until then, stay tuned!**


	19. Hammers and Hearts

**You are the best reviewers ever! Hurrah for Danny and Lindsay _finally _getting together. Now, if only I could somehow manipulate the producers into airing this fic as an episode…LOL. Anyway, the DL stuff may have reached a climax, but what about Flack/Anna? And how in the _world _did Greg and Anna meet? Well, for now, just sit tight and listen to the quaint ramblings of Anna's kids. Sorry that this chapter is such a short one, but I needed to throw this in before we went on. All will be revealed in due time (meaning Monday when I have off from work. Haha).**

Chapter Seventeen: Hammers and Hearts

"And that," I said, leaning back and observing my children's faces, "is the end of my story."

"No freaking way," Eva said with a shake of her head. "You mean you and Aunt Elsie actually got two adults who investigate evidence for a living to become an item?"

I nodded, and Eva returned the nod. "Way to go Mom," she stated with a smile.

"So, what happened to Danny and Lindsay after that?" Baron asked, studying my face. His two sisters raised their eyebrows at him. "What?" he defended, "I'm curious!"

I laughed. "Well, eventually, they got married, and they are now parents to two wonderful children."

"Aiden and David, right?" Eva recalled. I nodded and smiled.

"You still remember them?"

Eva scrunched up her face in concentration. "Yeah, I remember meeting them when I was little. Aiden and I chased David around. Aiden used to complain all the time about being a twin, but she took care of David, no matter how much he bugged her."

I smiled. "Yeah, that is Aiden for you. They named her after Danny's good friend Aiden Burn. She was a CSI too, but was taken way too soon…"

"Did you ever meet her?" Leala asked curiously.

I shook my head sadly. "No, I never did get the chance, and nor did Lindsay. But according to Danny, we would have both loved to meet her. Apparently, she was the other opinionated woman in the lab."

"And what about Mac and Stella—what happened to them?" Leala asked me.

"Eventually, both of them settled down too. They never did have any children, but from what I gather, both of them are still doing quite well in New York."

"And what about Flack?" Eva continued with a little grin playing on her lips. She was dying to know all about her mother's juicy love life.

Greg and I exchanged looks. "Well," I began, "Flack and I dated for a while. I think it was about 4 months or so…"

"That's not long at all!" Baron exclaimed, counting the months on his fingers. "That's like, 16 weeks!"

"What a math prodigy you are," Eva retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Mom wasn't finished, Baron. Go ahead Mom."

I continued. "…we dated for about 4 months until I met your father…"

"And then you dated Dad, right?" Leala asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. I shook my head and the children returned with baffled stares.

"I dated Flack for about another 2 months, I believe, before we broke it off."

"Why?" Eva asked with a frown. "Wasn't he your true love?"

Baron made gagging noises at the mention of 'love' and Leala threw a pillow at his face. Baron scowled at her, and didn't say another word.

"There is a difference, Eva, between _first _love, and _true _love."

"So, Dad is your true love, but Flack will always be your first love?" Leala asked as if she had finally put the pieces of her mother's life together. I nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes. I suppose I had never thought of it before, but that makes sense."

I paused and lifted my head up, detecting a noise in the room. The children watched my puzzled face as I got up from the couch and headed towards where I placed my purse. Pulling out my cell phone, I smiled and flicked it open. Thank God for Verizon. **(A/N: Yeah, we were up in the mountains for camp, and the only service that worked was Verizon, so I figured they might work in a hurricane too. Haha)**

"My dear, we were _just _talking about you!" I said with a little laugh. "Uh-huh…okay…yeah, of course…I will do that…hold on."

Greg looked at me curiously and I pressed a button on my phone, placing it in the center of our coffee table. "Everyone say hello to Aunt Elsie up in New York!"

"Hi Aunt Elsie!" the children chorused.

"Wow, are those my favorite kids in the world?" she asked in her bubbly voice. Some things, like Elsie for instance, never change. "How's the hurricane lookin'?"

"It's looking alright Aunt Elsie," Eva said loudly. "Mom's been telling us stories the entire time."

I could see Elsie's face though we were hundreds of miles away. "Oh, _really_?" she asked with interest. "What has she been telling you?"

"Well, she told us all about Danny and Lindsay, and her party, and being a CSI…" Baron said, trailing off. Elsie laughed.

"Did she now? Well, good for her. I bet Greg pushed her into telling you this, right?"

"Yeah, guilty as charged Elsie," Greg replied with a grin.

"Hey, did you tell them about how the two of you met?" Elsie asked with enthusiasm. The kids perked up.

"_You _know how they met too, Aunt Elsie?" Leala asked with amusement. Elsie laughed.

"But of _course _I do, sweetie. Now, which one of your parents is going to tell the story?" she asked. The group pointed at Greg.

"Dad said he would tell it," Baron remarked confidently. Greg sighed.

"Oh wait," Elsie cut in. "He can't tell some of the story. He wasn't in New York when…"

I interrupted before she gave my plotline away. "…yes, Elsie, I know. We'll improvise."

"Well, why don't I tell the first part?" Elsie suggested. The kids let out comments of approval.

I settled back into the couch, leaning against Greg as he stroked Noah's hair.

"Are you guys ready?" Elsie asked in her best story-telling voice. The children let out more shouts of approval.

"I'd like to say that your mother and father met under ordinary circumstances, but that just wasn't the case…"

**Ta-daaaa! Cliffhanger much? I shall be back on Monday, don't worry. Until then, review and make me happy!**


	20. Lost in the Darkness

**Thank you to my wonderful reviewers! You all make writing this story all the more worthwhile. Alright, now I don't want to give away much in my stories, because then that leaves nothing to be desired. But, to be forewarned (don't say I didn't warn you), this is the worst of all of the cliffhangers. It is probably the worst one (in sense of 'Give me another chapter…now!') that I have ever written. But review, because then I can update with the next chapter. My muse is getting a kick out of this. Haha.**

Chapter Eighteen: Lost in the Darkness

"_I'd like to say that your mother and father met under ordinary circumstances, but that just wasn't the case…"_

"Well, then, what happened?" Eva asked, already interrupting Elsie's story.

Elsie laughed on the other end of the line. "Patience is a virtue, my dear. I should probably explain everything that happened up until their meeting."

"Go ahead," Baron said with growing anticipation. "I'll duct tape her mouth shut if I have to."

Eva glared at him, but Elsie laughed. "You've got enough of your mother in you," she replied, probably smiling broadly.

"Come on, Aunt Elsie, stop stalling and tell the story already!" Leala pleaded.

"Alright, gee, teach your kids some patience Anna, will ya?" Elsie complained dramatically from the other line. I laughed.

"Okay, kids, here is what happened first of all…"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I was sitting on my couch in the living room of my apartment, waiting to hear the familiar click of Anna's key in her lock to her apartment. When I heard it, at nearly midnight, I pulled on my bathrobe, gathered some freshly baked cookies, and walked over to greet her.

She was grinning from ear to ear when I walked in, and I knew that her date had been wonderful.

"So, what did you do?" I asked, settling myself down on her couch as if it were my own. She sat down opposite of me and began to divulge the details.

"Well, first he took me to Central Park and had this cute little picnic planned out for us, but all of the sudden, it started to pour. And he tried to save all of the food and stuff. I felt so terrible, and I knew he felt awful that our date was ruined. But then I started laughing and laughing. He kind of looked over at me and was upset so he snapped: 'What?' and I just kept laughing and replied: 'You know, you look really adorable right now.' He looked at me, back to the picnic basket, and we both, right there in Central Park, just started laughing so hard. I didn't care that I was soaked, and he didn't either. And then we decided to just start dancing…"

"With no music?" I asked with a grin. Anna smiled.

"Yeah, and it was amazing, just swaying to some inaudible music there with him. I have never in my entire life, felt so happy…"

"And _please _tell me that there was at least _one _kiss in the rain. That's way too cliché to pass up," I replied with a smirk. Anna pursed her lips together and turned a nice shade of pink.

"Well?" I pressed.

Anna exhaled and looked at me, suddenly serious. "You know that they tell you, when you fall in love, there are fireworks, and stars in your eyes…that kinda thing?"

I nodded. "Yeah, and?"

"Well, I really think I am head-over-heels for this guy, and it scares me," she admitted, fidgeting with her bracelet.

I coaxed her into saying more. "Why? Why are you afraid?"

She sighed again. "Because it's just too good to be true, too good to last, you know what I mean? I feel like if I blink, he'll be gone and I'll be waking up to find out that it was only a dream."

I took hold of Anna's hand. "Hey, look at me." Anna lifted her eyes up to meet mine. "No matter what happens with Flack, you will _always _have me here, remember?"

Anna laughed. "Of course I remember. You're the best friend a person could ask for," she replied solemnly. "It's just, you know, I really want this thing to work out."

"Hey," I started, "no one wants to see it work out more than I do. After all, I am the reason that you two are together in the first place!"

Anna threw a pillow at my face. "And you have a bigger ego than _Danny._"

I feigned hurt and placed a hand over my heart. "Ouch, Anna, way to cut a girl down."

She smiled and squeezed my hand. "Thank you for always being here."

I smiled back. "No problem hun. None at all." I smirked and added: "But you _did _get a kiss, right?"

Anna grinned. "Oh yeah. I sure did."

A few more weeks went by, and one night Anna came into my apartment, tears welling up in her eyes. "We had a fight, a stupid fight," she choked. I embraced her and invited her in for some tea.

In the end, Anna agreed that she would talk to Flack in the morning, after she stopped by a bookstore down on Broadway. I hugged and consoled her as much as I knew how, and promised her that everything would be alright in the morning.

"If you need me, stop by the little dive across the street from your bookstore tomorrow. I'm meeting Kristina there for breakfast to prep her for her interview."

Anna raised her eyebrows and frowned in concentration. "Kristina? You mean the woman who was at my birthday party?"

I nodded. "Yeah, she wanted to know if there were any availabilities in my office, and I told her that I would get her an interview. So, we're meeting tomorrow so she can go over some questions and stuff. But feel free to stop by before you go and see Flack," I offered. Anna nodded sadly. "Hey," I said as Anna exited my apartment. She turned around. "I love you. Get some sleep."

Anna smiled tiredly and replied: "I love you," before she shut my door.

Kristina and I sat, the next morning, reviewing interview questions over omelets and pancakes at a little diner.

"Okay, so, don't be intimidated by Hagerty, he's really a softie at heart. Now, if you should happen to interview with Macintyre, just be sure that you make yourself sound appealing, and use good vocabulary; he likes that. Is there anything else you can think of that you want to know?" I asked Kristina. She paused and thought for a moment, staring out the window.

Suddenly, her hands flew up to her mouth. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh God. Elsie, come on, we need to get over there now!" she practically screamed, motioning across the street to an alleyway that was blocked from my view by traffic.

I frowned. "What's wrong? Kristina, wait!" I yelled after her as she flung the door open to the diner. I threw money down on the table, hopeful that it would cover the two meals, and ran after the red-headed woman. Kristina was arching her neck to see into the alleyway and darted in between cars to reach it.

"Kristina! Wait up! What the heck are you doing?" I yelled, trying to maneuver my way in between the crowded streets of Broadway. Kristina was staring at the end of the alley, hand over her mouth. "Come on," she hissed, jerking my arm and pulling me with her as we ran. Where were we running to? Kristina explained in between straggled breaths what she had seen, and if it wasn't for her dragging me along, I might have passed out.

We reached the building and flung open the doors, daring towards the stairs, not wanting to take the elevator at the moment. "Hey! Watch it! Elsie, what's going on?" he asked, running back up the stairs to catch up with us. Kristina was still pulling me, guiding the way. We made it to the office, completely out of breath, fresh tears streaming down both of our faces.

"What is it?" Mac asked, bordering anger.

Lindsay, Hawkes, Stella, and Danny—whom we nearly knocked over—came into the office and watched our horrified faces as we tried to get out into words what had happened. Flack came into the office with two glasses of water and gave them to both of us. I shook my head, struggling to breathe.

"We…we…saw…something…" I began, panting. Kristina nodded mutely. Mac glanced at his team, who was just as confused as he was.

"What did you see?" he asked calmly. Kristina swallowed hard.

"It…it…took…took…" she began, gasping for breath in between bursts of tears. I choked and finished. "…her."

Flack calmly responded. "What happened?"

"They…they…took her."

"Who took her?" Stella continued, placing a steadying arm on my shoulder.

"A man…a dark car…"

"Who did they take?" Danny asked, looking to me for an answer.

I shook with sobs. "They…they….they took Anna."

**The cliffhanger to top them all. MWHAHAHAHA.**


	21. Dangerous Game

**Hey everyone, it's me again! Thank you to all who are still following this story through all of its random twists and turns, including this surprising plot twist. Bet you didn't see that one coming. Haha. Anyway, I have to work tomorrow (yes, on the 4th of July) from 8-2pm, so hopefully I will update either then or on Wednesday morning/afternoon. Until that time, sit back, relax, and enjoy this next chapter!**

Chapter Nineteen: Dangerous Game

"No freaking way," Eva exclaimed once again as Elsie finished that portion of her story. I nodded solemnly, as did Greg.

"You were _kidnapped_?" Leala asked in hushed awe. Baron's eyes were wide, and he was literally leaning forward on the couch in order to hear more.

"Yes, I was," I replied. The kids simultaneously shook their heads in disbelief.

"Wow," Baron whispered still shaking his head. "Wow."

"Weren't you scared?" Eva asked with wide eyes. I looked at her, biting my lip in concentration and nodded.

"Yes, but at the same time, when I was kidnapped, I was unconscious."

"Well, what happened? And what does this have to do with meeting Dad?" Baron asked with growing anticipation. Elsie chimed in.

"Oh, you'll see," she replied cryptically. "But don't you want to hear everything that happened up to that point?"

"Yes!" the children chorused, leaning forward to hear Elsie better.

"Well, for one thing, I remember what every single person in that office did when I told them that Anna had been kidnapped…"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

My tear-filled eyes roamed around the room. Hawkes' mouth had dropped open slightly and he was staring intently at Kristina and me. Lindsay had gripped Danny's arm, steadying herself. Danny took his other hand and covered hers with his own. His eyes were transfixed on Mac's desk, jaw tight. Stella placed both of her hands on Mac's desk and was taking deep breaths. Mac's eyes were blazing and he clenched a pen tightly in his fist.

But who I remember most of all was Flack, for he sat down in a chair and raked his fingers through his hair, staring at the floor. And then he spoke, not looking up.

"I didn't tell her I was sorry," he said, voice wracked with regret. My eyes filled with fresh tears and I let out a choked sob.

"She…she forgave you already," I assured him.

"How do you know?" he asked, still not lifting his gaze from the floor. The others in the room remained speechless and focused their stares out the windows, away from our conversation.

"Because…because…" I began to choke out. Kristina put a comforting hand on my shoulder as I continued. "…she was on her way…to…to tell you that _she _was sorry."

Flack lifted his blue eyes from the floor and I could see that they were swimming with emotion. He didn't have to say anything, but I knew what he was feeling. Mac cleared his throat and everyone seemed to break out of their trances.

"Danny, you take Hawkes and the girls down to the crime scene. See if we can't get tire treads or anything that Anna or her kidnapper might have left behind."

Danny and Hawkes nodded.

"Stella, you and Lindsay stay here in the lab and wait to process anything that they find."

"But—" Lindsay began.

"No, Lindsay. I want you both here in the lab."

Stella nodded and ushered the younger woman outside of Mac's office.

"Come on," Danny motioned, bringing Kristina and me out of the office and back into the bustling hallway of the crime lab. I turned around once, and saw Mac sitting talking to Flack, trying to comfort and assure him.

We returned once more to the alleyway on Broadway that Anna had been taken from. Danny and Hawkes pulled their kits out of the crime lab's SUV and stepped into the entrance of the alley, looking for anything to collect.

"Hey, Danny, check this out," Hawkes said, pulling fibers off of the ground in front of him. Danny studied the fibers closely.

"Send them back to the lab. Maybe we can get something off of them," he said emotionless. He was just going through the motions, but in the back of his mind, he knew that this was no ordinary case. It was his friend who had been taken.

_Check the trashcan. I am sure she must have stuck my clothes in there. I had almost walked past the alley, before a Muslim woman, dressed in a headscarf that covered her mouth stopped me and began talking fast. She had a heavy accent, so I paused to listen to what she was frantically trying to tell me. 'Help, help my son, please.' I looked at her intently. 'Your son needs help?' I asked. 'Yes, yes. Help!' she had said to me, pulling me into the entrance of the alleyway. 'Where is your son?' I managed to ask, before I felt a cloth cover my nose and mouth. And then suddenly…I felt very tired. _

"Hawkes, look at this!" Danny shouted from a trashcan. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a red top. I looked at the top and gasped. Danny and Hawkes looked over at me.

"That's my top. I let Anna borrow it."

Hawkes examined the clothing and pulled out his tweezers. "Check this out Danny," he said, holding up the tweezers. "I got more white fibers."

Danny smiled sadly. "Alright then, we'll take it back and Stella and Lindsay can get working on that."

Danny took the clothes, bagged them, and placed them in the SUV. Hawkes walked carefully down the back of the alley and shouted that he had some tire treads. He snapped photographs of the treads and examined the rest of the alley for any trace evidence. Danny shook his head sadly, and sighed.

"Let's start processing," he stated, climbing into the SUV. "But first, we're going to get you ladies home," he said, addressing Kristina and me. I shook my head firmly.

"No. I want to stay in case you find anything. I want to know."

"I need Kristina to stay though," Hawkes said to Danny. "She saw the car that took her and we need to match the treads."

Danny exhaled. "Alright, you can stay, but only if Mac gives the green light. If not, you both are going home." We nodded and I prayed that we would find Anna.

"There was no blood in the alley," Danny told Mac as we returned to the lab. "No indication of a struggle, other than some white fibers we found. We also found Anna's clothes stashed in a trashcan with the same white fibers on them."

"Send it to Stella and Lindsay," Mac stated. Danny nodded.

"Already did, and they're working on it."

Lindsay rushed into the room and interrupted. "The results on the fibers are in. The fibers came from a common washcloth or a towel. But what is interesting is the substance on them," she said, handing the results over to Mac.

"Trichloromethane," he stated, reading over the results.

"What does that mean?" I asked puzzled.

"Chloroform," Lindsay stated simply. "Basically used to knock someone out."

"So, are kidnapper didn't want to kill Anna automatically," Danny said. Mac shook his head.

"But what we really need to find out is where he is taking her, and why."

Hawkes jogged into the room with Kristina shortly behind him.

"I think we've got our get-away car," he said with satisfaction.

**And that is where I will kindly stop for today. Haha. If you didn't get it, Anna is the one who is talking in italics. She will continue to do that throughout the next couple of chapters. Basically, I'm using that so you know what she is thinking during this whole kidnapping. Read and review!**


	22. Into the Fire

**Well, you all are amazing. But you all already knew this. Haha. Yeah, work was evil to the extreme, because apparently everyone loves to do their grocery shopping on the 4th of July. Who knew? Anyway, here is your next installment of my story. If it is not in italics, Elsie is speaking, and sooner or later Greg will switch with her and narrate the rest, but I will make sure to let you know when that happens! For now, just enjoy (and review too! I think we can make it into triple digits. squee)**

Chapter Twenty: Into the Fire

_Even though you can't hear me, you must listen. You'll find the car, trust me. You'll find the person who owns the car, and you'll find out where they're taking me and why, but you won't find me. They've disguised me, replaced my clothes with Muslim ones. I stirred, opened my eyes groggily, wondering where I was, and I saw them. There were two of them, man and woman, dressed in traditional Muslim dress. And I wondered why I felt so different. I realized immediately that my clothes were replaced, and I was dressed like them. And I knew that this would be difficult, that you would have trouble finding me when they could hide me so easily. But please, please, as she puts the cloth over my nose and mouth again, I feel myself slipping. Please find me._

"The car treads match that of a Hyundai Sonata, and Kristina identified the car as the one that the kidnappers used to take Anna."

Mac raised his eyebrows. "There have to be hundreds of Sonatas in New York," he stated. Hawkes held up his hand to continue.

"Yes, but Kristina also pointed out that from the looks of it, the license plate did not match that of a New York one, which is why," he said, pulling out a piece of paper, "I took the liberty of looking up all Sonatas with out-of-state license plates, and wouldn't you know…"

"…there's only one," Mac said with a grin. "Jessie Clark, moved down here about three months ago from Nevada."

"Do you think they could be taking her to Nevada?" I asked with growing anticipation. They couldn't possibly get out of New York that quickly…could they?

"They could be, but they won't get that far," Mac said with determination. He stood up from his chair and hurried out the door. "We've got someone to visit," he replied over his shoulder, waving Clark's address. Hawkes caught up with him, and Kristina and I looked at each other, then followed them down to the SUV.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Mac pounded at the residence of Jessie Clark. A woman could be heard from inside. "Alright, alright, I'm comin'," she yelled from inside. Opening the door, we all were quite surprised to find an elderly woman in a bathrobe. "Yeah, what do ya want?" she asked, adjusting her glasses.

"Does a Jessie Clark live here?" Mac asked curiously. The woman nodded her head, but a scowl remained on her face, probably from being disturbed.

"Yeah, I'm Jessie. What can I do for ya?"

Hawkes held up a picture of the black Sonata. "Is this your car ma'am?"

The woman squinted and looked at the car. "Yeah, although I let my grandson Cameron borrow it sometimes. In fact, he and his wife were plannin' some little escapade out west this week. I figured that as long as they returned it to me without a scratch or a dent that they could borrow it. Why? Did he wreck my car? Because if he did, I swear to God…"

"The car has been used in a kidnapping, Mrs. Clark," Mac interrupted. The woman's eyes narrowed.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Hawkes and Mac nodded. "Your car has a Nevada license plate, correct?" Hawkes asked. The woman nodded.

"Yeah, moved down here a few months ago and was going to get myself a new one soon. You don't think…no…he couldn't have…who did he kidnap?"

I looked at Kristina and spoke up for the first time. "My best friend. He took my best friend," I said coldly. Mac looked at Mrs. Clark.

"He kidnapped one of our CSIs, and we're not sure of why he took her or where he is planning on taking her. Now, you said that he was taking a road trip out west with his wife, right?"

Mrs. Clark nodded, and ushered the officers in so that we could talk more. "Yes," she said, sitting down on the couch. "He married an Arabic woman named Mahala a few years ago, and ever since then, Cameron was never the same. I am not sure exactly what she did to him, but she changed him. He would go out for hours and practice rituals and go to meetings and these kinds of séance things…it was all very strange. I was pretty sure that whatever religion that woman was, it was something very odd."

Mac furrowed his eyebrows. "So, do you think it was more of a cult, rather than a religion?"

The woman nodded. "Yeah, seemed to be that way".

Mac was jotting down notes. "Now, when was the last time you saw Cameron?"

The woman thought. "Well, it must have been a few days ago. He asked to borrow the car, since he doesn't have one of his own. I thought, sure, what the heck, the kid needs some time to clear his head. He told me that he had wanted to take Mahala out west to show her all of the sights and stuff."

"Wait a second," Kristina interjected, "Mahala must be an accomplice in this then, if not the kidnapper."

I thought. Kristina was probably right. If there was no trace of blood in the alleyway, then the kidnapper must have been gentle with Anna. And if that was the case, it would be much easier for a woman to lure another woman into an alley than a man.

"That makes sense," Hawkes said with a nod. "But we still don't know exactly where they are taking her, or why, for that matter."

"We'll start trying to track the car," Mac said with authority. "In the mean time," he said, turning to Mrs. Clark and handing her a card, "if you hear anything from your grandson, you need to give me a call."

Mrs. Clark nodded. "I really hope you find her," she said. Mac looked at her and nodded determinedly.

"We will."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Mac's office phone began to ring as soon as we were back at the lab. Kristina and I filed into his office to sit down, and saw the look on his face. _Get Stella_, he mouthed. I ran down the hall and into the AV lab where Stella was trying to find any surveillance video of the kidnapping from the surrounding stores.

"Mac needs you," I said, running out of breath. I was not in shape at all. Stella took off jogging for Mac's office, just as he put down the receiver.

"That," he said with a tight jaw, "was our kidnapper."

Stella's eyes were wide. "Well, what did he want? Ransom? What?"

Mac shook his head. "He just told me that if I got the police in any state involved with this, then he would kill Anna right away."

Stella's gaze grew cold. "What does he mean 'right away'?"

Mac ran a hand through his hair. "I have no idea. He wouldn't tell me. He knows that we have the get-away car. He even told us that he took her in a 2006 black Sonata."

Stella was puzzled. "Why did he tell us that? Does he want to get caught?"

Mac shook his head. "This guy is weird Stella. He doesn't want ransom, and seemed to be in his right state of mind when I spoke to him just now…"

Danny ran into the room, Lindsay shortly behind him. "They found the car," he said grimly.

"Outside of the city," Lindsay finished with a dismal look on her face.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "Then why the long faces? The police found the car, you should be excited."

Lindsay shook her head. "There's no one in the car, Elsie. They're gone again."

_You knocked me out with chloroform. And here I am, stuffed in the back of some truck, crossing what I think is Pennsylvania, or New Jersey. I can't tell. We've stopped only once, outside of New York City, so that we could be transferred here. Someone else is driving, someone who picked us up. I don't know where else we are going, but I think I can hear airplanes in the distance. Oh God. They're taking me on an airplane. Oh God. They have me in a new disguise now, with glasses, a pair of slacks, and a University of Nevada sweatshirt. And I am wearing a wig. Looking into the mirror, I don't even recognize myself. That's the idea, I guess. If I can't even recognize me, how will everyone else? My kidnappers too have changed their appearances, like chameleons, perfectly blending in with the bustle of society. And I think to myself that I will never be rescued. How can you rescue someone who you can't see? _

**Dun-dun-dun. The kidnappers have changed their appearances and modes of transportation in order to make sure that police and others don't realize that they are Anna's kidnappers. They have even forced Anna to change her appearance in order to not be noticed as the one they kidnapped. Yep. And so goes the end of this chapter. Please, please, please R&R and let's see if we can make it to 100 reviews soon!**


	23. Gone

**So, we are going to make it to triple digits! SCORE! Thank you so, so, so, so much to all of you who are reviewing. You guys make this story awesome through your input. I have a special comment to address though, from **_meadow567_**. I actually did a bit of research on Elizabeth Smart (the girl who was kidnapped in Utah) and her case and used it as similar to Anna's kidnapping. Other than that, this is the last chapter told from Elsie's POV. Next chapter will bring us to Vegas. (I'm so excited, and I'm the one writing it! Haha). You all know what to do: read, review, and enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty-One: Gone

_We're on a plane now. No one even recognized us, because no one cared, or no one tried, or no one heard. The last part is the one that scares me the most. No one heard about my kidnapping. What if no one knows? What if no one notices until long after I've gone? I still don't know why I am being held here, but I look around the plane, begging with my eyes for someone to look at me and say 'That is Anna Price, from New York'. But they look, and they don't know me. I didn't even get a chance to tell you that I was sorry. I nearly start crying, but the last time I cried in the truck, the woman—whose name seems to be Mahala—hit me. I think of you, picturing your dark hair, your soft blue eyes. I never got a chance to tell you…_

"What do you mean they're gone?" I asked incredulously. They couldn't have escaped with Anna again. Lindsay bit her lip, obviously trying to hold back her emotions.

"She's gone, they're all gone. The police found the car abandoned on the side of the road, outside of the city, and processed the car. They found some epithelials and a few hair samples that are being processed as we speak in the Sonata, but other than a traditional Muslim dress in the back seat, which is also being processed, that's the only evidence that we have of Anna ever being there."

Mac ran a hand through his hair again, an anxious habit. He looked around at the collection of us standing there: Danny, Lindsay, me, and Kristina, and he just exhaled, regaining his diplomatic posture.

"We need to get the photographs from where the car was found. If there are any signs of them escaping, we need to find out whether they did so on foot or with another car."

Danny nodded at Mac and left the room to contact the police who called the car in to see if he could gather any photos from the scene. Lindsay raked a hand through her curls and motioned towards the door. "I'm going to go and see what else I can dig up about this Cameron guy," she said with a curt nod in Mac's direction. Mac nodded back and sat down in his desk chair.

I looked at Kristina and we both sat down in the chairs, facing Mac's desk. Mac looked up and smiled sadly. I could tell that even though he rarely conveyed emotions, this case was getting to him—it was getting to everyone.

"Mac, I know that you CSIs are the best of the best. And Anna was – is – a great CSI too. She might have left something in the car to let you know she's still alive," I suggested. Mac furrowed his eyebrows and nodded thoughtfully.

"You know, she might have…" he said, trailing off. Picking up the phone, he dialed a number. "Yes, this is Detective Mac Taylor…yes, Anna Price…okay….thank you….yes, we should be receiving them right now? Okay, thank you. Listen, did you find anything else in the car? Alright, I understand. Thank you very much."

Mac hang up the phone just as Danny came back into the office. "Photos were just faxed to us. Seems that there were minimal tire treads around the Sonata, possibly they transferred her to another car. Hawkes is trying to match the treads now. Also," he said, pulling out another sheet, "DNA came back on the epithelials as a match to Anna. The hair also came back to Anna."

"So, you're telling us that she's still alive?" Kristina asked hopefully. Danny licked his lips and glanced at Mac out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, from what we can tell, it seems to be that she's still alive, but we can't be too sure."

"But why would you get in another car if you had a dead body with you?" Mac asked, mainly to himself.

I shook my head. You wouldn't. No one would want to carry a dead body across the country with them. You'd just dump it and then get in another car.

"No sign of a struggle, again," Danny continued, reading off the paper, "and more fibers were found with chloroform on them." He closed the file and looked hopelessly at Mac. "We're goin' around in circles here Mac."

Mac stared out the window, still thinking, as his cell phone interrupted his thoughts. "Taylor," he answered. His eyes grew wide. _That must be the kidnapper_, I thought to myself, looking at Danny and Kristina, whose gazes were narrowed. Mac had been smart enough to put a trace flag on his phone after the kidnapper had called his office. Danny had already pulled out his cell phone to get the trace working. Mac was on the phone longer than he had been before. "Damn it," he cursed, looking at the cell phone.

"Wasn't long enough to get a trace," Danny replied, shaking his head. Mac held up his phone.

"And the kidnapper knew it too. I spoke to a woman this time, undoubtedly Clark's wife, who told me that Anna was alive, but that we wouldn't be able to find her. She said that they didn't want ransom and that this was 'her custom'…"

"What does that mean?" I asked sharply. It seemed to me like the police were incompetent. How could you not find three people who were heading across the country?

"I don't know, but at the end she said 'This phone call could get too long, Detective, and we don't want you to trace us.' And then she hung up."

Danny shook his head again. "This is insane."

Mac wrote something down on a piece of paper on his desk. "She told me that the car they escaped in was a Ford F150, a red one."

Just then, Hawkes burst into the room with the tread results. "We've got the second car. It's a…"

"…Ford F150," I finished dryly. Hawkes eyed me suspiciously.

"How did you know that?"

Mac motioned to his desk. "The kidnapper's wife called me. She told us what car they were in."

Hawkes was puzzled. "Why would she do that?"

Danny's eyes widened. "…because they're not in a car anymore."

Mac nodded. "That's it; they don't care whether or not we find their second car, because they're not in a car anymore."

"Well, where are they?" Kristina asked. Her eyes widened, and she answered her own question. "They could be in a taxi or on a train, a plane, or a boat right now. They could be doing anything, and we would never know it."

Mac walked out of his office, not saying anything to us, and came back with Stella, Lindsay, and Flack in tow. Everyone stared expectantly at their boss. Mac ran through the story of the phone call once more with everyone present.

"Okay, so like Kristina said," I began, "they could be anywhere."

"But if their final destination is Nevada, a plane would be the most obvious choice," Lindsay replied.

"Here's the time frame then," Mac said, pulling out a sheet of graph paper. "Anna was taken at approximately 9 am. Kristina and Elsie ran here, taking maybe 15 minutes at most. We processed the crime scene, and interviewed the kidnapper's mother. All together, that took a good 45 minutes to an hour, right?"

We all nodded. Mac continued: "And the car was found outside of the city at about the time we finished questioning Mrs. Clark. So, the kidnappers had plenty of time to get out of the city. We know that they took another car, possibly to New Jersey or Pennsylvania. And right now, it is a little after 12. Danny, get on-line and check all departing flights from any Pennsylvania or New Jersey airport headed to Nevada."

Danny ran out of the room and towards the nearest computer, while Mac continued. "If we figure that they had enough time to board an airplane, we might be able to catch them when they land in Nevada."

I nodded and smiled for the first time that day. There was still hope.

"I've got all the flights right here," Danny said, pulling a sheet of paper behind him. Mac studied the paper before noting something.

"Check this out," he said, passing the sheet to Stella and Lindsay. Their eyes widened, and Flack peered over to look.

"There's a flight that left for Nevada at 11:15 this morning," Stella said with a smile. "We can still catch them."

Mac picked up his phone, digging through his desk drawer. "This still isn't over though," he said, dashing our growing optimism. "These kidnappers are skilled, and they won't give up easily."

"What are you doing?" Flack asked with curiosity. Mac pulled out two business cards.

"I'm contacting someone who both Anna and I trust," he replied, dialing.

_Calleigh ran through the crime lab, trying to spot any red hair. When she did, she jogged towards him. "Horatio!" she called. The man turned around to look at her. "Horatio, it's Mac Taylor. He's on the phone from New York. There's been a kidnapping."_

_Horatio studied Calleigh's face and she continued. "It's Anna."_

"Yes, Lieutenant, we are doing everything we can, and we think we may have isolated the flight that they are on, but we need your help. I need any assistance that you can give me, a name, a phone number, anything to help…you do? Yes, alright…thank you Horatio."

We all waited in anticipation, but Mac didn't address us and picked up the phone again. We sat in silence, not knowing what to think.

"Yes, this is Detective Mac Taylor, and I was looking to speak with a Gil Grissom…"

**Hoorah! Greg's POV is next (meaning either tomorrow morning/afternoon since I work from 5-10:30 tonight and 5:30-10:30 tomorrow, or Friday, when I have the day off work!). Keep those comments rolling!**


	24. The Riddle You & I

**Ah, you all are wonderful, I must say. Thank you for reviewing – we are now in triple digits! – and thank you for sticking with this story. Anyway, this chapter (and following chapters as well) will be told from Greg's POV. Keep those reviews coming, and enjoy this next chapter! **_Disclaimer:_** Sadly, I do not own the title of this chapter (or many of my other chapters for that matter). If you want to check out the song (awesome song) it's by Five for Fighting.**

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Riddle (You & I)

"…and that's about all that I can tell you," Elsie concluded on the other line. The children burst out in objections.

"You can't leave us there!" Leala argued, "What happened to Mom? How did they find her?"

Elsie tried to interrupt but was stopped by Baron. "That's a terrible place to stop Aunt Elsie."

I could see Elsie rolling her eyes. "Let me finish my sentence," she explained. The children shut up automatically. "I _really _can't tell you what happened, because I wasn't there when they found Anna."

"Well then who _was _there?" Eva chimed in. Greg smiled and looked at me, waving his hands towards the children,

"I was there."

"What was it like? Did you find Mom?" Baron asks with anticipation. A smile is playing on Greg's lips.

"We'll see…" he trailed off, continuing the story, this time from his perspective.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was a seemingly normal day in Las Vegas, with the casinos up and running already and people streaming in from all over the country, from all walks of life, just to get a glimpse of this paradise with bright lights and flashy showgirls. For me, it was just another day.

I pulled my kit out of the crime lab's SUV and snapped on my latex gloves, walking towards where I saw Sara knelt over a dead body. I shielded my eyes from the morning sunlight, taking a glance around the rich gated community that we were in.

"Morning Sara," I greeted with a smile. Sara gave me one of her 'don't screw with me today' looks, and I just kept smiling. "Having a bad day?" I asked.

"I got about two hours of sleep. That constitutes as a nap," she grumbled. I sighed and knelt down beside her and checked my watch. It was eight o'clock.

"Well, at least you're having a better day than this guy," I offered, motioning towards our dead victim. Sara's mouth twitched, a sure sign that she was trying to fight a smile.

I walked around the scene, looking to find anything of interest. The dead male had gunshot wounds to the chest, and I was wandering around, looking for the bullets. I grinned as I found two bullets, and bagged them, walking back towards where Sara was.

"I've got bullets," I said, waving the evidence. Sara smiled.

"Good. I've got some prints here, and a few isolated fibers. Let's get back to the lab and see what we can get done."

The lab was its usual morning bustle, as cases poured in from overnight. Grissom passed us in the hallway and nodded—his normal morning greeting. Catherine was at the end of the hallway with Nick and Warrick.

"Morning Greggo," Nick said with a grin as I passed. I rolled my eyes at him and continued to walk with Sara. She was uncharacteristically quiet, and I figured that it was mainly due to lack of sleep, but Nick hadn't said a word to her as she passed.

"You and Nick have an argument or something?" I asked curiously. _Curiosity killed the cat, I know, but I try to land on my feet_. I smiled, recalling a passage in a book I had read a long time ago.

"I don't want to talk about it," Sara snapped. I let it go. When Sara was ready to talk, maybe she would let me know. Her and Nick had been dating for a while, and I was in full support of their relationship, even though at first I had my reservations. It was hard to see Sara—someone whom I had a crush on for years—date someone else, but in all honesty, I was glad that she was dating Nick. He seemed to be good for her somehow. Unfortunately, I guess their relationship had hit a snag, and Sara absorbed herself in her work to keep her mind off of it.

We worked in silence for a while, before Catherine ran into the room. "It's Grissom. He wants us all in his office," she said. We looked up. "Now," she said authoritatively, walking back down the hallway. I looked at Sara, curiously, and she returned my gaze, equally baffled.

We all gathered in Grissom's office, amidst the jars of dead animals swimming in formaldehyde. Grissom took his glasses off and stared at us. It was one of those rare moments—Grissom removing his glasses—and I knew that he was thoughtful, or serious. Or both.

Grissom exhaled before turning his attention to everyone in the room. "I gathered you all in here because I just received a call from Detective Mac Taylor in New York," he began. Our eyes begged him to continue. "It seems," Grissom started up again, "that one of their CSIs has been kidnapped."

Catherine's eyes widened and Sara shot an eyebrow up. Nick and Warrick stood with arms crossed in front of their chests. And then there was me, still puzzled as to what this had to do with us. Sympathetic, no doubt, to the CSI who was kidnapped, but all the same, I was still curious to hear the rest of the story.

"Her name is Annabelle Price, and she was kidnapped by a man named Cameron Clark, originally from Vegas. They also believe that from the evidence and a testimony from the suspect's mother, that there is a woman, his wife, with him."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "And they think that the kidnappers are bringing her back here?" I asked. Grissom nodded.

"They _are _coming back here with her," Grissom checked his watch. "Three of the detectives from New York are coming down here so that they can assist us with the case," he continued. "Right now, all other cases are to be put on hold. This is to be the only case you're focused on, understood?"

We all nodded. Catherine looked worried. "They don't think that the girl could be…"

"…no," Grissom finished. I always found it funny that Grissom and Catherine could finish each other's sentences like that. "There is enough evidence to believe that Anna – as they call her – is still alive. The kidnappers are supposedly on a flight from Newark to Vegas with her," he added.

Warrick frowned. "How do two kidnappers get a girl on a plane without being recognized by anyone?"

"They'd have to disguise her," Sara replied with thought. Grissom nodded in Sara's direction.

"Mac Taylor and his team collected evidence that supports that theory. They figure that the kidnappers forced Anna to change, as the team found clothing in the back seats of the get-away cars."

We all nodded. "So what do you want us to do?" Nick asked. Grissom held up a file.

"Nick, I want you and Warrick to go and visit the last known residence of Clark here in Vegas." The two men nodded and took the file from Grissom before exiting.

"Sara, I want you and Greg to go research as much as you can about the background of these people. Mac said that the suspect's mother was concerned because Mahala—Clark's wife—seemed to drag him into a cult. We need to find out if that is the reason they took Anna. Get any information that you can." Sara and I looked at each other and went off in search of any information.

Catherine was left in the office, talking to Grissom in a hushed voice. I sat next to Sara, staring at the computer, not finding much of use. We had been sitting there for nearly an hour already, and nothing helpful had come up. Sara spoke up, causing me to glance over at her.

"Here, listen to this," she said. "There is a practice called tantrism, which basically consists of human sacrifice. It's derived from mystical practices that grew out of Hinduism," she concluded. "I think that this is worth taking a look into."

I nodded as she printed the page out and we walked together to Grissom's office. Standing in the doorway, we looked at each other, eyebrows raised. Inside, besides Grissom and Catherine, there were four other men. One of the men appeared to be middle-age with bright red hair. He was talking to Catherine, while the other three men talked to Grissom. One of them had glasses and short mousy hair, the other was taller with dark hair and blue eyes. The one who appeared to be their boss must have been middle-aged, with dark hair and piercing eyes. Grissom noticed us standing in the doorway and beckoned us inside.

"We found some interesting results on cults," I said, as Sara handed the paper to Grissom. "The one we found wasn't really a cult; it was a division of Hinduism that focused on human and animal sacrifice."

Grissom motioned towards the group of men standing in his office. "These are the detectives. Detective Mac Taylor," he said, motioning toward the man with the piercing eyes, "Detective Don Flack," he continued, gesturing towards the other dark haired man, who acknowledged us with a curt nod, "Detective Danny Messer," he said, pointing to the man with the glasses, "and from Miami, Lieutenant Horatio Caine," Grissom concluded, acknowledging the man with red hair. We all nodded at one another, and Mac took the paper from Grissom's hands.

"He mentioned something over the phone…" Mac said, trailing off and looking at his two comrades from New York, "…he said that they 'wouldn't kill her yet'. I wondered what that meant, but I am beginning to think that this is some ritualistic human sacrifice," he said, eyes narrowed. Horatio nodded.

"That sounds like it would fit the profile of your kidnappers," he said, running a hand through his red hair. "Didn't you say that the wife was Arabic?" he asked, turning his attention to Mac.

"Yeah," Danny said in a heavy Staten Island accent. I smirked. New Yorkers and their accents never ceased to amuse me.

"So what are we looking at here?" Flack asked, rubbing his hands together. Danny was staring around Grissom's office and our crime lab with curiosity. "What are the options we got?"

Grissom's office was crowded enough, but Nick and Warrick returned just then with more news. "We found some background information on the kidnapper," Nick said, warily eyeing all of the guests in the office.

"It turns out that there is an abandoned warehouse a few miles outside of Vegas where Clark met his wife, Mahala, at some Hindu spiritualistic meeting," Warrick continued, "but it was burnt down about a year ago by some activist group. Apparently these people weren't too happy about the meetings that were taking place in the warehouse."

"See if you can get any witness testimonies of what went on there," Grissom said with authority. Warrick nodded at the guests and ducked out of the room with Nick following him.

"It sure is dark in this place," Danny replied with eyebrows raised. Mac shot him a 'this isn't the time or place' look. Danny just shrugged and Grissom spoke up.

"Sara, Greg, why don't you take Detectives Flack and Messer in the SUV. I want you to go down to the warehouse and see what you can find there. The fire may have damaged any sort of evidence, but see what you can dig up."

I looked at the detectives and they nodded, following us out of the room. Sara rolled her eyes. I guess being stuck with two New Yorkers wasn't what she had on her agenda that day.

**That's all for now, and I might be updating tomorrow. Hooray! Yeah, I had to throw Danny's comment in there. Did anyone else notice that? The Vegas lab is really, really, really dark compared to the ones in NY and Miami. LOL. Creepy effect, maybe? Anyway, read and review please!**


	25. Porcelain Heart

**Thank you all so much for reviewing. Seriously, I cannot thank you enough. As a potential writer, your feedback means so much to me. I am glad that you all are so interested in this story, and as we draw closer to the end, I want to thank you all for sticking with it through all these chapters. **_Disclaimer: _**I do not own the title of this chapter, for that belongs to the group Barlowgirl. It's a beautiful song, truly. I also do not own these previous chapter titles: **Such Great Heights, Dare You to Move, Irony, When Did You Fall, Spare an Angel, Hammers and Hearts, Lost in the Darkness, Dangerous Game, **and** Into the Fire. **Yes, I enjoy taking song titles as my chapters. LOL. Read and review!**

Chapter Twenty-Three: Porcelain Heart

"Oh, the irony," Eva said with a little smug smile on her face as she sat back in her chair, arms crossed.

"What do you mean?" Leala asked, looking at her sister with interest.

"Well, look at who was in the SUV. Isn't it ironic that Mom's current boyfriend and eventual husband would be in the same car?"

Baron and Leala looked at me and Greg, who were just smiling. "Oh, the irony," I repeated, smiling at Eva. Eva looked pleased at her discovery.

"So Dad, what happened after that?" Baron asked, turning to face his father. Greg bit his lip in concentration.

"I think that I managed to strike up a conversation as Sara drove towards the burnt down warehouse…"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"So…"

That was all I could think of on the way to the warehouse. I, of course, knew the real reason for Grissom sending us off: he didn't want us hanging around the lab. It was the kind of thing that your parents did just to get you out of the room. And right now, it looked like Mac, Grissom, Catherine, and Horatio were our parents.

"So…" Danny replied back, directing his attention away from the window and onto me. "…what's up?" he asked in his most nonchalant voice.

"Oh, uh, nothing…just…thinking," I replied. Truth be told, I had _no _idea how to set up a conversation with these New York guys.

"Yeah, yeah, me too, me too," Danny said with a nod. **(A/N: Yes, he used the same lines from "City of the Dolls" when he asked Lindsay out to lunch. You'll get over it. Haha.)**

"So, you know her well?" I asked Danny. It seemed like Flack was trying to avoid entering a conversation.

"Anna?" he asked. I nodded. Danny smiled sadly. "Yeah, Anna is…she's wonderful. She's like my little annoying sister, ya know? The kinda girl that ya love when she's around, but sometimes she can get on your nerves to no end, and ya still love her."

I smiled and nodded along. "She seems like a great person."

Danny swallowed hard and returned his gaze out the windows, replying softly: "Yeah, yeah she is."

I didn't know what else to say, but was reminded of when Nick was buried alive. I looked over at Sara, who was driving, and her attention remained solidly fixed on the road ahead of her. I knew what she was thinking, yet, I didn't expect her to speak up.

"If anyone can find her, we'll be able to. Grissom and Catherine are amazing," she said, voice strong and confident. Danny and Flack looked up.

"I'm sure they are," Flack said softly. Sara shook her head and continued.

"You don't understand. Nick, one of our CSIs was kidnapped a while ago and buried alive."

Danny's eyes widened and he shared a glance with Flack. Sara pressed on. "There was a camera in his – coffin – and even though we could see him, and knew he was there, it was terrifying." I put a hand on Sara's shoulder and she smiled sadly, recalling what she felt that day. "I didn't know if I was ever going to see him alive again or not, but Grissom is intelligent; he's a genius. And we found him and were able to get him out alive."

Danny looked at Flack and put a hand on his shoulder as Flack continued to stare out the window.

"I wish I could have told her…" was all that Flack said. Danny lightly shook Flack's shoulder, and I turned around in my seat to face the two of them.

"She _knew_ man, she knew," Danny assured him. I looked at Danny and Flack with curiosity. Danny noticed my interest and was about to offer explanation before Flack cut in:

"Anna is my girlfriend."

"Oh," I said slowly. Sara and I shared a knowing glance. This must have been tough for him.

"I wanted to tell her that I was sorry," he continued, voice tight, trying to restrain from becoming too emotional, "because we had a stupid little fight, but I never got the chance to tell her…"

"Flack, man, you can't keep beating yourself up about this," Danny said, trying to comfort his friend. Flack looked up at Danny.

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say. Your girlfriend isn't being held hostage by some psychopaths," he spat. Danny shook his head and exhaled.

"No, but mine is in New York right now, the city of crime. God knows, I worry about Lindsay too. I worry if somethin' is gonna happen to her. I want to protect her, like you wanna protect Anna," Danny replied seriously. "But we can't beat ourselves up about this, alright? We just gotta let it go."

Flack looked his friend in the eye, nodded, and then smiled slightly. "When did you get to become so wise Messer?"

Danny shrugged his shoulders, a smile playing on his lips. "Eh, I think Montana has somethin' to do with it."

"Montana?" I asked curiously. "You mean, like the state?"

Danny and Flack shared a laugh. "Naw, Montana is his girlfriend's nickname," Flack explained, grinning. "When Lindsay moved here from Montana, Danny boy over here," he said, pushing Danny's shoulders "decided it would be fun to give the new girl a nickname. He's such a kindergarten flirt."

Danny crossed his arms over his chest and I could see Sara suppressing a laugh from the driver's seat. "I am _not _a kindergarten flirt!" he insisted. Flack rolled his eyes and turned his attention towards finishing the conversation with me.

"Danny would constantly tease Lindsay, he'd make jokes to get her to laugh, and he'd just light up whenever she was around. It's like a kid pulling a girl's pigtails to get her to notice him."

I laughed and looked at Danny for response. He merely rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Worked, didn't it?" he asked Flack. Flack smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, but I still think you're a kindergarten flirt."

Danny mumbled something under his breath and we all laughed.

"Hey, we're here," Sara said, pulling the SUV to a halt outside of a charred warehouse. We got out of the car, Sara and me pulling our kits from the back. Danny snapped on a pair of latex gloves from my kit and pulled out a flashlight, walking towards the warehouse.

Broken heart  
one more time  
pick yourself up  
why even cry?  
Broken pieces in your hands  
wonder how you'll make it whole.

_I wanted to scream at you: "Look at me! Look into my eyes!" but you, like all of the others, just turned your gaze away. It is because I am dressed differently. Mahala has me, once again, in traditional Muslim dress. But if you looked into my eyes, you would see that they are green, that my skin is pale, and you might wonder: "That is different." But no, you turn your face away from me in shame, thinking I am some terrorist. And I want to scream at you. I want to cry._

You know, you pray

This can't be the way

You cry, you say

Something's gotta change.

And mend this porcelain heart, of mine.

_I feel tears well up from behind my eyes, as Mahala looks over at me with a sharp glare. She elbows me in the ribs, hard, and I wince. I never was someone who prayed much, but right there, in the middle of the crowded streets of Las Vegas, I began to pray to God. "God, if you are listening to me, please rescue me," I shouted in my head. "I need someone to rescue me!"_

Someone said, a broken heart

Would sting at first then make you stronger

You wonder why this pain remains

Were hearts made whole just to break?

You know, you pray

This can't be the way

You cry, you say

Something's gotta change

And mend this porcelain heart of mine.

"_I need you to mend my broken heart somehow. Please don't let me die here. Please, oh God, if you are even listening to me right now, just don't let me die here. And let him know that I love him, because I never got to tell him. And, God, help them to find me. Show them the way to me." The pain inside my heart was tearing me to pieces. Broken hearts…broken pieces…broken life. I didn't know if my prayers were doing anything at all, but all I could do was pray. Someone looked into my eyes, and for a split second, they followed my gaze. But then I was pushed into the crowd, lost, and I lost their eyes. _

**I apologize for the angst, but it has to be done. Haha. How else would you react to being kidnapped? Anyway, keep the reviews coming. You know how much I love them!**


	26. What Hurts the Most

**Aw, you guys are the best. I can't thank you enough for reviewing this story. And it makes me even happier to know that you all are getting into it, and really enjoying my wonderful creation—Anna! Prepare to want to cuddle Flack in this chapter. LOL. The chapter title is by Rascal Flatts, which is about the only country I ever listen to. Haha. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS AN EVIL CLIFFHANGER (but not as evil as next chapter).** **You have been warned. Read and review and enjoy! (Oh, and for the record, I don't know if you can still find blood in a burnt down building, so if it isn't realistically plausible, I apologize!)**

Chapter Twenty-Four: What Hurts the Most

"Alright, cut to the chase," Baron said with a determined voice, "how did you find Mom?"

Greg looked hurt. "Hey now, I'm doing my best to tell this story. I'm sorry that I'm not as good at this thing as your Mom is," he said. I put my arms around his shoulders and kissed him gently on the lips.

"It's okay Greg, _I _still love you," I said solemnly. Greg grinned and kissed me back.

"Ew, gross!" the kids chorused together.

"Are your parents kissing in front of you?" Elsie asked, still on the other line from New York. We broke apart and I looked at my cell phone, surprised that my best friend was still on speakerphone.

"You're still there Elsie?" I asked curiously.

"Well, duh," she replied matter-of-factly. The kids laughed. "I want to hear the rest of the story too, ya know."

Greg smiled. "Alright, so, where was I in my story?" he asked.

"You and the other CSIs were examining that burnt down warehouse," Baron stated. Leala nodded and chimed in.

"And Mommy was being all angsty."

I raised my eyebrows at my youngest girl. "You know what the word angst means?"

Leala nodded and beamed. "I learned it last week in vocabulary!" she announced proudly. I looked at Eva, who merely shrugged and returned to examining her manicured nails.

"Go ahead Dad," she said, looking up. "Let's hear the rest of it."

"Okay, well, we began to process the warehouse…"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Have you found anything?" I asked Sara, who was examining the north side of the charred remains of the warehouse.

"Not a thing," she reported sadly, shining her flashlight on what appeared to be a badly burnt ceiling rafter. Danny and Flack were moving around the warehouse, occasionally pausing to examine the remains of a table or a chair. Both were optimistic at first that we would find something of use. But now, it looked like nothing would…

"Sara! Come here!" I yelled as my flashlight caught the glint of something. Carefully reaching down into the rubble, I pulled out a piece of silver material. It was melted and twisted, but I knew from the looks of it what it had originally been.

"Is that a knife blade?" Danny asked, holding it up to the Vegas sunlight, examining it closely.

"It looks like it, doesn't it?" Sara asked quietly. Danny's eyes widened.

"I think we've got blood on here," he replied. "Where's your phenothalin?" he asked. Sara dug in her kit and pulled out a swab, handing it to Danny. I watched Danny swab the apparent blood, and then place a drop of phenothalin on the swab. It turned purple before our eyes.

"Human blood," he said, staring at the knife. Sara took the swab of the blood.

"We'll get this back to DNA, see what we can get off of it," she replied, flipping open her cell phone to call Grissom.

"Yeah, we're sure it's human blood…okay…will do…thanks."

Sara snapped her phone shut and pulled out her camera. "We should probably start photographing, since this is now a crime scene," she replied diplomatically. Danny nodded and continued to walk around the building. Flack merely leaned up against the SUV, sunglasses on, staring off into the distance. I debated for a moment on what to do, and then decided that talking to the guy for a minute couldn't hurt.

"I know what you're gonna say," Flack responded as I came closer towards him. "You're gonna say 'Don't worry, we'll find her.' Right?"

I shrugged and exhaled. "I don't know Anna, but if she is a CSI, she must be thinking of ways to get herself out of this mess. She must be a very bright young woman."

Flack nodded. "She is."

I continued. "When Nick was taken, he was placed in a sealed coffin underground with a camera and his gun. The kidnapper wanted him to commit suicide, but Nick never did that; he was smart enough to figure out ways to keep himself alive. And then came the ants. He ended up beating the odds, though, Flack. He survived. And after all he's been through, to still be a CSI today is amazing."

Flack stared absentmindedly into the distance. "Your point being?"

"My point being that Anna can get through this too. I may not know her like you do, but the stuff that I _do _know about her assures me that she's gonna make it."

Flack nodded. "You're right, and I know you're right. It's just that…"

I studied Flack for a moment before I asked what had been on my mind during our car ride. "She's not just a girlfriend to you, is she?"

Flack shook his head and ran a hand through his short hair. I continued, lowering my voice.

"You love her, don't you?"

I knew that I was being nosey, but I really didn't care. All of my life I had been told that "love can move mountains", so I figured that finding out if Flack really loved this girl could make a difference. Who knew what love could do, right?

"Yes," he said after a short hesitation. "And now she's gone, and I can't tell her that."

"Naw, Flack, she's not gone forever," I tried to assure him. Flack shook his head, voice caught in his throat.

"Look, Greg, have you ever been in love with someone?" he asked, looking at me for the first time.

I thought about the question for a moment. At one point, I thought that I was in love with Sara, so I nodded my head.

"Then you understand my fear, right?" he asked. I nodded again. I clapped my hand on Flack's shoulder.

"We'll find her," I assured him again. Flack nodded, but I continued. "And more than that, I will make sure that if it's the last thing that I do, I will bring her back for you."

Flack studied my determined face for a moment. Here I was, someone whom he had just met a few hours ago, promising to find the love of his life, no matter if it would cost me my own life.

"Thank you," he said with a small smile. "Truly, that means a lot to me."

I nodded and then returned to examine the rest of the building. _Poor guy_, I thought with a slight shake of my head. _Life is so unpredictable…_

"I take my earlier comment back," Eva said with eyebrows raised, "_this _is ironic!"

Baron laughed. "Dad, why did you do it?"

Greg frowned. "Do what?"

"Make that promise to Flack," he said with his questioning brown eyes. I looked over at Greg, curious myself.

"Yeah, why _did _you make that promise?" I asked him. Greg studied my face and Baron's as well.

"I knew that this girl – Anna – meant a lot to Flack, and I knew that he loved her. I wanted to help him deal with his pain, so I figured that it was the least I could do."

Eva shook her head. "No, no, that's not why," she argued. "You didn't even know Mom and already you were starting to fall in love with her, right?"

I looked at Greg curiously and our children seemed intent on finding out the true reason for his promise. "Well?" I asked.

Greg rolled his eyes and sighed. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you the real reason. Truth be told, even though I never met Anna – your mother – I knew that she was someone very special and I kind of wanted to play hero," he admitted. I swatted his arm playfully.

"You never even saw me and you wanted to be my Superman?" I asked with a toying grin. Greg shrugged.

"I was always more partial to Spiderman," he said with a playful little smile. I swatted his arm again and he caught my hand and kissed it.

The children, of course, let out another indignant chorus of: "Ew!"

Just to spite them, I snuggled closer to Greg and placed a kiss on his lips.

"Are your parents kissing _again_?" Elsie asked with a little laugh from the other line. I nodded, forgetting that she couldn't see me.

"Yes, Elsie," my husband and I replied together. I could see Elsie rolling her eyes.

"Can we finish up with the story Greggo? I have places to be and people to see…ohmigod. I just rhymed!"

The entire room burst out in laughter.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Marjorie shook her head as she unloaded groceries from her car. She fumbled with the key to her house, stepped inside the house, and kicked the front door shut with her foot. She dumped the groceries on the kitchen table and exhaled deeply.

_It couldn't have been anything to worry about. I mean…no, there wasn't really…_

The young woman shook her head and began to remove her groceries from the paper bags. Ambling around her kitchen, she couldn't shake her thoughts away from a stranger on the street. Finally giving into her need to talk to someone, she picked up the kitchen phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hey, it's me," Marjorie said, sitting down at the kitchen table. "I wanted to tell you about something weird I saw today. I mean, it's probably nothing, but I needed to tell someone."

Tina Brown's eyebrows furrowed together and she sat down on her couch. "What is it?"

Marjorie began to explain. "I saw this girl today on my way to pick up a Lotto ticket. She was dressed in one of those Muslim dress things, and the strange thing is that she had really pale skin and these bright green eyes…"

Tina nearly choked on the water she was drinking. "Oh my God."

"What? What is it?" Marjorie asked, confused.

Tina's eyes widened. "It's just that Warrick called me from work. They're looking for a girl who has been kidnapped and disguised. Her name is Anna, she's from New York, and she has bright green eyes."

**And that's all for now! Yes, I still kept Tina and Warrick together. (ducks from all of the Yo!Bling shippers). Read and review please!**


	27. Hold On

**I was thinking, with this story drawing to a close in two more chapters (one more after this plus the epilogue) that I really didn't cover as much detail as I would have liked. For instance: Anna's journey to becoming a CSI, the courtship/proposal/wedding of Danny and Lindsay (including the time that they were locked in Cozy's together), how Mac and Stella _tried _to keep their relationship a secret, more of Elsie and Anna's brilliant plans (karaoke, anyone?) and the details of Flack and Anna together. Which is why, if you all would like, I am already putting together a prequel/sequel thing for you all. With your reviews of this chapter, kindly either put a "yay" or "nay" as to whether you would like me to continue. Have a good time with this semi-evil cliffhanger! **

Chapter Twenty-Five: Hold On

Marjorie gawked. "You're kidding me. You mean, that girl was _kidnapped_?" The young woman's eyes were wide.

Tina was pacing her kitchen now. "Yes, but Marjorie, I really need to call Warrick, so I'll call you back later."

"Please," Marjorie said as Tina hung up.

Across town, Sara and I were still trying to process the warehouse scene, when a soft beeping caught my attention. I looked at his pager and read it to Sara. "Grissom's got a 911 for us. Let's head back to the lab." The group piled back into the SUV and drove to the lab.

"I wonder what Grissom needed," Danny thought out loud. I shrugged from the front seat.

"Whatever it is, it's something urgent."

Grissom's office was already full, yet again. Warrick and Nick were standing near Grissom's desk, talking to him, as Horatio, Catherine, and Mac talked in hushed whispers. The entire group looked up as the rest of us filed in.

Warrick held up his cell phone. "That was Tina. Her friend Marjorie spotted someone downtown today who matches the physical description of Anna."

Flack and Danny glanced at each other. "Well, do we know where they were taking her?"

Grissom looked up at the two New Yorkers. "We can assume that this ritualistic human sacrifice takes place at a warehouse," he began, "and we have located a few abandoned warehouses right outside of the city."

"Well, which one are they taking her to?" I asked.

Grissom exhaled. "There's one to the north of here, and we think that this one is the one they've taken her to…"

Danny and Flack looked at each other and nodded, drawing their guns.

"…but here's the thing, Danny, Flack," Mac continued, addressing the two men, "we have to do this thing right. If we don't, Anna could get hurt, and we don't want that."

The two men nodded and put their guns away for the time being. "Now," Horatio continued, "we have a plan, but we need to make sure that you all stick to it," he said, mainly talking to Flack now, and added in a tone just above a whisper, "you can't get carried away by your emotions."

Flack nodded, though I suspect he was still wary of this whole plan. "What did you have in mind?" he asked.

"Here's the deal," Catherine began, "what we need is for Nick and Warrick, you two are going to take Sara and circle the building. Greg, I want you with Flack and Danny. You three are going to start on the first floor of the warehouse. Grissom and I are going to be on the second floor with Mac. Horatio said that he can check the top floor by himself. Everyone understand that?"

We all nodded, though my mouth suddenly felt very dry. "We can't get Brass involved with this," Grissom said, addressing his team, "because there is supposed to be no police involvement, and we want to get Anna out of there alive."

"Is everyone ready?" Mac asked. We all nodded mutely.

"Then, we need to get going," Grissom said, checking his watch. "It's about two hours until sunset and according to this ritual, the sacrifice is supposed to be taken at sunset."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I felt very numb as I rode with half of the group to a little dive a few minutes away from the warehouse. I snuck a glance over at Flack and Danny, who looked equally clammy. I took a deep breath as we got out of the SUV, inhaling the evening Vegas air. Dirt and gravel crunched under our feet as we drew closer and closer to the warehouse. It was a massive building, with crumbling walls and peeling paint on its exterior. Catherine made a motion, and everyone loaded their guns. She signaled once more, and we moved inside.

I was met with the aroma of dust and mold as we stepped inside of the threshold to the warehouse. Catherine motioned towards a rusted set of stairs as she, Grissom, Mac, and Horatio climbed up to the other floors. _This is it_, I thought. _We're all alone now. _Danny pulled a small flashlight from his pocket, as Flack and he moved around, covering me from any gunfire that should erupt. The warehouse was full of rooms, all abandoned, and empty corridors leading to more vacant rooms. We must have walked for over a twenty minutes before we heard a cold voice.

"Why, hello there detectives," it drawled. Flack and Danny walked slowly into the room that the voice was coming from. Catherine, Grissom, and Mac were already in the room, their guns trained on four or five shadowy figures in the center. A man was in front of them, with a bound and gagged woman, holding a glistening silver knife at her throat. Flack and Danny tentatively backed up against the wall, in hopes that the figures wouldn't be able to see them.

"And Detectives Flack and Messer, what a pleasure to see you both here too," the voice continued. It was a woman's voice, I realized. I stepped further away from Danny and Flack, retreating into the shadows. Either the woman failed to acknowledge me, or she honestly didn't see me. I could see a table fixated in the center of the room with candles lit in the around it.

"There, there, Mr. Sanders, we wouldn't want you hiding in the shadows," another voice added. I swallowed hard, and inched towards where Danny and Flack were. Both of them still had their guns out and trained on one of the figures near the center of the room.

"Why did you do it Mahala?" Mac asked in a calm and even tone, gun aimed right at the young woman. Her dark eyes glistened maliciously in the candlelight.

"Don't you see, Detective? It's my tradition, my heritage. We need to have a perfect human sacrifice."

"Anna's not a perfect person," Danny added in a flat tone. "None of us are perfect."

Mahala laughed. "It doesn't matter if she has a traffic ticket, or a blemish on her skin. She is green-eyed, signaling wealth and prosperity. Her hair falls straight, meaning that she is a good person, not wayward. She is a brunette, meaning that she is very brilliant and bright. Don't you see, Detective Messer? She is the perfect person for our sacrifice."

One of the men in the center of the room agreed and Mahala nodded encouragingly towards him. The man stepped closer towards where Cameron was holding Anna. He knelt down towards her and moved his hand towards her face.

"Don't touch her," Flack growled from beside me, gun now aimed at the man. The man merely laughed and stroked Anna's face. Anna whimpered.

"Why, Detective? Can't bear to watch your precious Anna being touched by someone else?" Mahala taunted, motioning for the other men in the room to go over and stroke Anna's face, neck, and shoulders. _Keep it together Flack_, I begged. As much as it was sickening me to see Anna being touched by a bunch of creepy men, I wanted Flack to keep his cool so that we could get her out of the warehouse alive.

Flack held his gun steady and his eyes were fixed on Anna's. The two of them looked at each other, a silent communication.

_Please, Flack, don't do anything rash. I know you'll get me out of here. I believe in you_, she seemed to be saying with her eyes. I watched Flack lock eyes with Anna before he fixed his gaze to Mahala.

"You're telling me that out of a million people that passed by your alley in New York, that you chose Anna because of her physical appearance?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the woman. The woman smiled.

"No one else who passed by the alley was such an easy target as Anna. I could tell that she was distracted, emotional, and in a hurry to get somewhere."

Danny stiffened next to Flack.

Flack spoke up. "She was emotional because of me. We had a fight the night before. I meant to say," he said, turning his eyes towards Anna once more, "that I was sorry. I'm so sorry Anna," he said, gaze softened.

_I forgive you Flack. I want you to know that. I wanted to tell you, and I was on my way to tell you that was sorry about our argument. I don't want something stupid coming between us. _

"Well, isn't that just sweet?" Cameron hissed, looking back and forth between Anna and Flack. "They got one last moment of forgiveness before she died," he said, pulling Anna to her feet. The young woman winced in pain. Her arms were bound behind her back, and her feet were tied together. The men in the room agreed with low murmurs.

"Well, now that you are all here, I think we can proceed with the sacrifice," Mahala said with glee, motioning for her husband to put Anna on the table. Catherine stopped her, by voicing a question.

"How do you know that we won't shoot you all now?"

Mahala and the others laughed, as Cameron stood up from placing Anna on the table. Mahala was still watching her, but Cameron scrambled around and talked to one of the men, who handed him roped to bind Anna to the table.

"And risk hitting your precious little Anna?" the woman asked with skepticism. "You would never do that."

"You're right, Mahala," Mac said, mouth twitching. A shot rang out in the air, and Cameron fell to the ground, knife slipping out of his hand. Mahala screamed and the CSIs advanced towards Anna. Mahala and the other men wouldn't let them off that easily.

"No!" she shrieked. "I'll kill her myself!" The woman picked up the knife of her dead husband and pulled Anna to her feet, knife ready to slit her throat. Gunfire was heard all through the air, as the other men began to fall, one by one. Mahala looked at Danny, who was coming towards her. Instead of slicing Anna's throat, she threw the younger woman against the stone wall behind her, and Mahala took off running for the exit.

_I'm not dead. But I feel very odd, very tired. I want to sleep. Yes, sleeping is nice…_

"Anna, listen to me. Anna, my name is Greg, and I need you to stay with me," I said. I wasn't shielded from the gunfire, but I was making sure that Anna was, placing my body in front of hers. She had hit the wall pretty hard, and I knew that she was beginning to slip into unconsciousness. Danny jogged over to where I was.

_Is that Danny? Oh, Danny, I feel really tired. I hope you don't mind if I just go to sleep for a little bit. It would feel very nice…_

"Price, listen to me, don't you dare fall asleep. Anna, keep yourself awake, please."

_But Danny, I want to sleep. I want to close my eyes…I think I will now. My eyelids feel really heavy and I feel tired. Yes, I think I'll fall asleep now…_

"Hold on, Anna. Hold on," I told her, as her eyes slid shut.

**Well, obviously, Anna doesn't die. It would be kind of hard to be married and have four kids if she was dead. But the next chapter will reveal everything, like who fired the first shot, and if Flack ever tells Anna how he really feels…Yep. All that and more, in the next chapter!**


	28. She Walked Away

**Well, this is almost the end. Let's all cry together guys. Haha. No, we won't cry over this story, because it's not over. What I'm putting together is a story called "Chasing Hope", which is Anna's memoir; in essence, having all the details in it that I left out of this one (I mentioned those details in last chapter's note). Are you guys excited? I am! Anyway, this chapter is going to be one that contains a squee-fest for all of you who like Flack and Anna together. And you'll all be going, at the end of the chapter: "Why didn't you keep them together!" Well, Anna shall explain that to her kids in the epilogue. Until then, keep those reviews coming! **_Disclaimer: _**Don't own the title. Another amazing song by Barlowgirl, if you wanna check it out!**

Chapter Twenty-Six: She Walked Away

"Alright, Dad, you can't just leave it at that," Eva said in a straight tone. Greg nodded.

"Good observation. But I didn't know if your mother wanted to finish the story." He looked over at me, and I shrugged, but then smiled, thinking of something.

"Would you kids object to both of us finishing the story?"

The kids looked at each other and shook their heads. I turned to Greg.

"So, I'll start with when I woke up, and you can chime in after that."

"Sounds good," he said with a smile.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I felt quite groggy as I managed to open my eyes. The first thing that met my eyes were bright lights. I wondered for a moment if I was dead. My body felt extremely heavy and I couldn't remember where I was or how I got there. I squinted at the florescent lighting above me. _If I really am dead, I need to remind God to change the lighting._ Opening my eyes further, I realized that I actually wasn't dead, but was propped up in a hospital bed, IV running through me. I always hated needles.

I blinked and yawned, wondering if I had been asleep for a while. The sun was out, scattering rays of sunlight across my bed. I felt very warm. Blinking, I looked around the room and tried to remember what had happened. I noticed a figure, slumped over in a chair near my bed.

"Don?" I asked weakly. The man stirred and yawned, looking over towards the door. When he realized that the sound was not coming from there, he turned his blue eyes to my face. "Don…" I said, quieter. It wasn't a question this time, but a statement. Flack rose from his chair and kneeled beside my bed. He reached out and took my hand in his, lacing his fingers with mine.

"Anna, sweetheart?" he asked tentatively. He had never called me 'sweetheart' before. I looked at him with curiosity.

"Did you just call _me _sweetheart?" I asked with raised eyebrows. Flack's eyes were searching mine.

"You remember who you are, though, right? You recognized your name when I called you Anna?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Of course I remember. I'm Annabelle Leah Price. Why wouldn't I remember my own name?"

Flack continued with the questions. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

I studied his face for a moment, and tried to recall what had happened. I closed my eyes and saw faces, colors; patterns swirl before me, all of them unfocused. And then, the images became clearer.

"A woman with fiery eyes, a man with a knife, a black car, a red truck, candles, a table, and someone talking to me…" I mumbled in one breath. I looked at Flack, whose blue eyes were studying my face intently.

"You were kidnapped, Anna," he stated. I furrowed my eyebrows together, and the mental images formed a film in my mind, replaying all of the prior day's events. My eyes widened and I gripped Flack's hand tighter.

"Oh my God, I remember it now," I said in a hushed whisper. Flack brought his other hand up and placed it on the side of my face. _"Why, Detective? Can't bear to watch your precious Anna being touched by someone else?"_

I flinched as Flack's hand touched the side of my face. He brought his hand immediately back down, looking torn. "I'm sorry, Anna, I shouldn't have done that. I overlooked your feelings and after what happened yesterday at the warehouse…"

Without saying anything, I took Flack's other hand and moved it back to my face, smiling. "It's alright. It's you. I trust you." Flack smiled and brushed the hair out of my face with his hand. I felt my breath caught in my throat.

"I…" he began, playing with a strand of my hair, "I…wanted to…to tell you something," he started awkwardly. I watched him advert his blue eyes from my own eyes. _He's so cute when he's flustered_, I think to myself with a smile.

"Yes, and?" I asked, urging him to continue. He moved his hand off of my face – to my slight disappointment – and instead, placed it on my hand. I felt secure then, with both of his warm hands holding my one hand.

"I was thinking about what happened at the warehouse, and…"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I walked back from the cafeteria with Grissom, a warm cup of coffee greeting my lips as I made my way towards Anna's room. Flack had insisted on staying with her all night; just to make sure that she was okay. The nurses, eventually, agreed, and Flack set up camp on the chair beside Anna's bed.

I peered in through the window and saw that Anna was awake. Grissom smiled next to me.

"Look's like she'll be alright," he said, not looking directly at me. Grissom was strange that way: he would seemingly be talking to you, and yet never look at you.

"Yeah, she will be," I said with confidence. Grissom raised his eyebrows at me – a trademark of his – and just sipped his coffee with a smile.

"What? What's that look for?" I asked. Grissom looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"You like her, don't you?" he asked. For someone who had no visible love life of his own, Grissom could sure be nosey. I shook my head solemnly.

"No. No, Grissom…I don't…I can't…"

Grissom smirked, watching my conflicting feelings with utmost enjoyment. It had to be a hobby of his or something: making my life miserable. I looked at Anna and Flack who were holding hands and who seemed to be engrossed in conversation. _I don't like Anna, I don't like Anna, I don't like Anna_, I repeated to myself. There was no way that I could fall for a girl whom I had just met, a girl who – by the looks of it – was happily involved in a relationship. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. No, I couldn't like her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"…I just wanted to tell you something," Flack said, not looking directly at me. If he hadn't sounded so serious, I would have laughed. The poor guy was obviously having a hard time saying what was on his mind. I squeezed his hand and he looked up.

"Just tell me," I said with a twinkle in my eyes. Flack sighed and stood up, taking one of his hands and running it through my hair, all the while, his eyes focused on some distant object. When he looked down at me again, I met his gaze.

"I love you," he said in a whisper. "And I realized that when you were taken. I realized how stupid it was for me to hold it in all of this time, because I want to take care of you, to protect you. You mean the world to me, Anna."

I felt my eyes grow misty as he brought his lips to my forehead. He was really in love with me. After that initial shock wore off, I opened my mouth and felt my words tumble out.

"I was so scared," I said, tears beginning to run down my face. Flack let go of my hand and brought both of his hands to my face, cupping my chin and wiping my tears away. "I was scared because I thought of all of the people that I would never see again, and I was afraid to lose them…"

"I was afraid I was going to lose you," Flack said, eyes searching mine. I smiled a little bit and put both of my hands on top of his.

"Now, normally I don't like clichés, but Flack," I started, staring at his bright blue eyes, "even if you _tried_ you could never lose me." Flack smiled, but I continued. "I love you."

For a moment, we were both silent, my hands on top of Flack's, still cupped under my chin. We stared at each other and both smiled. Then, Flack leaned in and brushed my lips with his. He pulled back and I beamed at him, heart melting. _I'm in love_, I thought to myself. _I'm really in love._

"Thank you for always being there for me," I said honestly. He brought his hands away from my face and sat back down in his chair, still smiling. He opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, a knock on the door interrupted him.

"Good morning sunshine!" Danny said with a smile. I rolled my eyes at him, trying to contain my laughter.

"I was having a nice moment until you ruined it Messer," I bluntly told him. Danny raised his eyebrows, looking back and forth between Flack and me. Danny then turned to Mac, who had just come into the room, and whispered loud enough so that I could hear:

"Yep, she's back to normal."

I giggled, but threw a dirty glance at Danny nonetheless. He merely stared back at me and shrugged. "Okay, well, if you don't want your present…" I noticed that he was holding a Starbucks cup behind his back.

"Wait a second Messer: if you have any form of Starbucks back there, I want it," I replied in a demanding tone. Danny looked at me, grinned, and walked over towards my bed.

"Now, don't tell the nurses I gave you this," he whispered, handing me the cup. I beamed. Danny had brought me a Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino: my favorite drink. **(A/N: Best.Drink.Ever!) **Smiling, I gave Danny a hug – or rather, the best hug that I could give, considering my state – and thanked him.

"No problem Price," he said with a grin. He added seriously, "I'm glad that you're alright though. I was scared when I saw you hit that wall."

I looked up into Danny's blue eyes and smiled sadly. "I'm okay now, aren't I?"

Danny nodded and ruffled my hair. "Yeah, kid, you're alright." I swatted Danny playfully and Mac cleared his throat. We looked up from our little banter.

"We're all glad that you're alright, Anna," Mac said with sincerity. "And I called everyone back in New York, and they're relieved as well." I nodded and smiled at Mac, but then looked around the room to the other members of my team.

"Thank you all for finding me," I choked out. God, this emotional stuff could wear a person out. Mac shook his head at me.

"If you really want to thank anyone, you should thank the Las Vegas CSI team," he stated. "And you should thank Horatio too," he added as an afterthought.

I looked at Mac with confusion. "Horatio's here?"

Danny nodded and I peered outside of the room's windows. Sure enough, in the hallway stood a bunch of people that I had never seen before, and a familiar man with red hair. Horatio looked at me, smiled, and gave a short wave of his hand. I smiled back and waved.

"Actually, you have Horatio to thank for your life," Danny said thoughtfully. "He fired the shot that killed Clark." I scrunched up my face in concentration, recalling hearing a gunshot.

"How did Mahala not see him?" I asked curiously. My team members smiled.

"She knew that the Vegas CSIs would be at the warehouse, and she knew that we would be there. But she had no idea that you knew anyone from Miami," Mac said proudly.

"So, Horatio went up to the third floor of the building and Mac gave him the cue to fire the shot," Danny concluded. I blinked, and uttered a "Wow" under my breath.

"So, Price, you ready to get outta here?" Danny asked with a smile, as one of the nurses came into my room, removing the IV from my arm.

"You're free to go, Ms. Price," she said, looking at me with concerned eyes. "But if you have any trouble with your head whatsoever, I want you to go to the hospital immediately. If you experience any headaches, fever, dizziness..."

Mac nodded, stopping the woman. "We'll make sure she's alright. Thank you for your consideration." The woman nodded and ducked out of the room. Flack offered his hand and I moved slowly out of my hospital bed. I looked down at my clothes and realized that they were still the rumpled mess that they were yesterday. Somehow, I didn't care all of that much, as Flack held my hand delicately in his. Mac and Danny looked at each other, sharing a knowing glace, and we all headed out into the hallway.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Anna was moving across the room, slowly, but with the assistance of Flack. I thought that for her situation, her balance was impeccable. I looked around the hallway, and found Sara and Nick holding hands behind me. Sara met my gaze and smiled a genuine smile. I was glad that things were back to normal. All conversation hushed as Mac opened the door for the rest of his team. Stepping out into the hall, the young woman with stunning green eyes looked around at the group and smiled.

She loosened herself from Flack and one by one, began to personally thank all of us. Maneuvering her way over towards Nick and Sara, she gave them both hugs and said something to each of them. The pair hugged Anna back and smiled at her. Horatio was next, and I was surprised to find that the red-haired man actually gave Anna a long hug, talking to her in her ear. The young woman grinned and thanked Horatio. Catherine didn't wait for Anna to hug her; she threw her arms around the younger girl in a tight embrace. Warrick was next, and then Grissom, who gave the young woman an awkward hug. Grissom never was the type of person who was the "hugging type".

Finally, it was down to me. Anna looked into my eyes and drew me into a hug, whispering into my shoulder.

"Thank you for saving me, and thank you for making that promise to Flack. He told me about that, and it was really admirable of you. And," she said, swallowing, "thank you for risking your own life for mine back there at the warehouse. I held on, just like you said." Anna squeezed me for a second and then pulled back from her hug, smiling at me. I looked into her eyes once more before she made her way back over towards where Flack was standing. She took her fingers and laced them with his, standing as close to him as she could get.

"Words can't express how much I thank you," she said, looking around the hallway. We all nodded at her and Mac shook hands with Grissom and Horatio, before rubbing his own hands together.

"Well, Anna," Flack said, looking down at the young woman, "are you ready to go home?"

Anna smiled and looked back up at him, then towards Danny and Mac. "You bet," she answered with a grin. We waved our goodbyes as the group from New York headed down the hallway. I watched Anna's retreating figure and sighed. As quickly as she had walked into my life, she walked out of it.

**The epilogue is coming up next (meaning probably Thursday or Friday since I am off work the rest of the week!). Keep feeding me those comments, because I love them!**


	29. The Epilogue

**Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. I want to thank every single person who has reviewed this story: you all are so amazing and I thank you for all your comments and feedback! I hesitate to call the next story a sequel, so I think I should refer to it as a memoir—basically, an elderly Anna is going to narrate the entire story, including various details left out of "Stories of the Past". Anyway, you guys are amazing, and I really hope that you all enjoy the epilogue! Don't forget to look for "Chasing Hope" either tomorrow or Saturday afternoon! Oh! And the song at the end of the chapter? Totally Faith Hill's amazing song: "Fireflies".**

The Epilogue

Leala's chin was in her hands as she leaned on the coffee table. "And that's all?"

Greg and I faced each other and nodded. "Yeah, that about covers the highlights of my story," I concluded.

"I have one question though, Mom," Eva began, cocking her head to the side slightly. I nodded, encouraging her to continue. "No offense or anything to you, Dad," she said, looking at Greg honestly, "but why would you give up someone so…so…"

"…so seemingly perfect for me?" I finished with a sad smile. Eva nodded her head eagerly, eyes searching mine. I sighed.

"If I had continued to date, and eventually marry Flack, you all wouldn't be here…"

"Well, we know _that _mom," Leala began with a slight wave of her hand as she maneuvered herself back onto the couch. "Even Baron knows that we're both of our parents, with genetics and all that…"

"Are you making fun of me?" Baron asked his sister, obviously insulted. Leala rolled her eyes dramatically and Eva picked up her younger sister's sentence for her.

"Yeah, Mom, we know that if…"

"No, you _don't _'know if'," I said, rubbing my temple, "you don't know the half of it."

"Well, then tell us, Mommy," Leala pleaded. "Why didn't you marry Flack if you were so in love with him?" she asked, eyes begging for more information. I smiled at my youngest daughter.

"They always say: _If you love something, set it free_…"

"…_if it comes back, it's meant to be_," Leala recalled.

"…_if it doesn't, then it never was_," Eva concluded, folding her arms across her chest with a triumphant grin. I smiled at my girls. Greg looked at Baron and the two of them were baffled.

"Is that some secret female mantra?" Greg asked me. I slapped his arm playfully. I guessed that Elsie had hung up, or else she would have chimed in by now. So, I got up from the couch and snapped my cell phone shut, putting it back into my purse.

"So, what does that have to do with Flack?" Eva asked curiously. I turned around to face her and sat back down onto the couch next to Greg again.

"If I had married Flack, I wouldn't have you guys," I said, looking at all of my children in turn, "because Flack and I chose different paths in life."

Baron's eyebrows were raised. "What does _that_ mean?" he asked. I licked my lips and continued.

"After Flack and I had dated for a while, we talked about what we wanted in life: marriage, family, homes, et cetera," I told my children, who seemed to be listening with interest, "and we chose different paths," I added quietly.

"You mean," Eva began, trying to decipher my words, "Flack didn't want children?" she asked, eyes fixated on mine. I bit my lip.

"No, I think he wanted kids, it was just that, when it all boiled down to it, we both had different ideas about…things," I said cryptically. Leala rolled her eyes at me.

"You're gonna have to be more specific than that, Mom."

I laughed at my daughter and continued the conversation. "Flack wasn't ready to give up his job in a heartbeat to settle down and have children," I said, recalling years ago when I was younger and very stubborn.

"So, you _were_ willing to give your job up to have kids?" Baron asked. I studied my son. Was there a hint of admiration in his voice, or was I imagining things?

"Yes. Yes, I was. I didn't want to continue to be a crime scene investigator if I had children. Though, granted, being a CSI was not a 'throw your life on the line' kind of profession, it was still dangerous. And I knew that if I had children, I wanted to be there for them."

Leala's eyes were wide. "So, you gave up Flack and New York…for _us_?" she asked. I ran my fingers through my brunette hair.

"In a sense, yes, I guess I did. I knew what I wanted in life, and though I loved Flack, he and I had different opinions. I was ready to move into the country and have a family, and Flack didn't exactly jump at the idea of leaving the city."

"From how you describe him, he strikes me as a city boy," Eva said with a little grin. I laughed at her.

"Yes, yes he was. But he was nothing compared to Danny," I noted with remembrance. Baron perked up again.

"Wasn't it hard to give up Flack?" he asked me. I blinked, not quite expecting to hear that question from my son.

"Of course," I said, my voice above a whisper. I saw a younger version of myself, boxes packed, standing on her fire escape, just crying out to the stars. I swallowed and nodded again, addressing Baron's question. "It's hard to give up someone, especially when you're scared at where life will take you next."

Leala nodded. "And that's when you moved from New York, right?"

I shook my head. "Not right after that, no. It was still a few months after I had broken it off with Flack that I got an offer out west – California – to join their CSI team out there."

"And did you take it?" Eva asked, curiosity getting the best of her. I smiled and looked at Greg.

"Ironically enough, I went down to Florida for a vacation, in order to think things over, and…"

"…and that's where your mother and I ran into each other again," Greg finished putting his arm around my shoulders. The children gasped.

"Nuh-uh!" Leala exclaimed with wide eyes and an even wider smile.

"Yep," I nodded with a smile to match hers. "It was fate that your father was staying at the same hotel that I was."

Eva beamed. "That is _so cool_!"

I nodded and laughed with Greg.

"Do you have any regrets about what you did, Mom?" Leala asked seriously. I stopped laughing and stared into her dark eyes. My daughter looked thoughtful, and yet fearful of my answer. I patted the empty patch of couch next to me, and Leala came over. I sat her on my lap and wrapped my arms around her, kissing the top of her head. Eva and Baron stared at me, expecting an answer.

"There was a line from a musical, once, that I have always remembered," I began with a slight tilt of my head. "It said: _Forget regret, or life is yours to miss_. I think that I have always followed through with that. So, Leala, I don't regret anything. If it wasn't for me leaving New York, I would have never met up with your father again, and then you all wouldn't be here."

The children's gazes were sympathetic and yet loving. "If I had taken that job in California, if I hadn't gone back to school to get my teaching certificate, and if I hadn't had ever taken that trip to Florida, I wouldn't have the joy that I have now," I explained. "And more importantly, I wouldn't have the five loves of my life." I looked around at my four children – three who were awake, and a sleeping Noah – and my husband. All of them were smiling at me.

Leala faced me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I love you Mommy. You gave up your dreams for mine." I held back tears and tightly embraced my daughter. I opened my eyes to the flickering of lights and power. The children, Greg, and I all cheered. Finally, after hours upon hours of waiting, the power had finally been restored. Eva looked at her siblings thoughtfully and ushered them over to her chair. Leala bounced off of the couch and over towards where her brother and sister were congregated. I threw a confused glance at Greg, who merely shrugged as Noah woke up, stretching and yawning.

The children broke from their little congregation, and Eva stood up, stretched, and walked over towards where the light switch was. She flicked the lights off, and suddenly there was darkness in the room once again. The children looked at Greg and me, all smiling.

"We talked about it, and decided that we want to spend time with you guys," Eva declared with a smiling face. Baron and Leala nodded enthusiastically.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "You really want to spend time with…_us_? Your parents? The ones who apparently make your lives miserable on a daily basis?" I asked with a chuckle. Baron nodded and plopped himself back down onto the couch.

"Yeah, something like that."

Greg beamed and let Noah down from the couch to play with his toy cars and trains.

"Alright, who are you and what have you done with the real Sanders children?" Greg asked playfully. Leala threw her hands up in mock frustration.

"Dad!" she whined. Greg laughed and Leala sat, Indian-style, on our carpet, with Eva seated to the left of her.

"Seriously though," Eva continued, "we're sorry that we give you guys a hard time, and that we don't spend as much time with you as we should."

Greg and I shared a look. "Okay, now I'm officially scared," I said with a little laugh. Eva looked frustrated and I continued. "but I am touched that you all want to spend time with us."

The children looked at each other and smiled.

"Dad," Baron began, bounding over towards my husband, "tell me about all those bodies and cases and stuff!" Greg looked at me once, with a glimmer in his eyes, and proceeded to tell Baron some interesting CSI tales.

"So, Mom, what _else _did you and Aunt Elsie do in New York?" Leala asked with curiosity. Eva's eyes widened. "Was there a lot of cool places to shop?"

I beamed. "The _coolest_," I assured Eva before turning my attention to Leala. "Well, there was this one time…" I began, settling myself to tell more stories of adventures.

_I believe in fairytales, and dreamer's dreams_

_Like bedsheet sails,_

_And I believe in Peter Pan, and miracles,_

_Anything I can to get by._

_And fireflies._

Sometimes, life happens for a reason, and we never truly understand. But then, we reach points in our lives, where suddenly everything makes sense again. We realize why we ever dreamed in the first place, or why we wished or hoped or prayed. Sometimes when we least expect to get an answer, it comes to us in a heartache. I think that I have realized these things as I have gone through life. Granted, times have been hard, and granted, I have felt many days like giving up or giving in.

But I keep pressing on, knowing that this journey in life may be rocky in places, and may contain sinkholes and detours.

But everywhere that I have gone, everyone that I have seen, and everything that I have done has pointed me one way:

Home.

_Before you knew me, I traveled 'round the world._

_I slept in castles and fell in love,_

_Because I was taught to dream._


End file.
